


Mia Fey: Ace Attorney – The Fool's Turnabout

by Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath



Category: Persona 5, 逆転裁判 | Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: Alternate Universe, Courtroom Drama, Crossover, Gen, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:08:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27096310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath/pseuds/Snarky_SilverHaired_Sociopath
Summary: Mia Fey has to take on a client at the request of his two friends. After being accused of murder after having an assault conviction, Ren has to turn to her help to get out of these new false charges while fighting against the prosecutor, Sae Niijima.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to be something of an alternate universe crossover and a bit of a character study of both Mia and Sae. Considering how Sae is in the game, she wouldn't be too out of place as an _Ace Attorney_ prosecutor. (Yes, probably even the part about physically threatening the defense. There won't be much of that in this fic though.) Thankfully, the timelines of both make it easy to blend the two together with some tweaking. Since _Persona 5_ takes place in 2016 and Mia was working in 2016, they could come across each other at some point. (Again, it would take tweaking since she died in early 2016.)
> 
> Now, I'm also considering a version where the _Ace Attorney_ characters have their original Japanese names rather than the localized English names to help them fit better with the _Persona 5_ characters having normal Japanese names. If you're interested in me making this version, which should be pretty easy, let me know.

My name is Mia Fey. I'm a defense attorney here in Japan and I've been working hard for years to improve my craft and make sure everyone I see has a fair trial. After years of studying under Marvin Grossberg, I decided to open up my own law firm. I've even taken one man I've defended under my wing. He was inspired to be a lawyer because of me, and I couldn't be happier to have inspired him in that way. That meant that I had to be on my A-game and try to be the best that I could be.

Of course, that would be easier if I could bag any clients. I've only just started and there haven't been many clients coming along. I guess I just need a major case to get things off the ground. Somehow. For the most part, I've just been investigating Redd White as much as I can.

KNOCK-KNOCK. There's someone at my door. "Come in!" I say.

Phoenix pokes his head in through the door. "Chief," he says, "there are two people waiting for you. They say they want your help."

New clients I guess. "Let them in."

He opens the door and leads the two people in. To my surprise, it looks to be two high schoolers judging by the uniforms. One girl who happens to have a more proper image with rather unnaturally radiant red eyes. The other is a rough-looking blond boy (though I assume it's dyed). Quite the unusual pair just by the looks of things.

"Excuse me," the girl says, "would you happen to be Mia Fey?"

"Um, I'm sorry," I continue, "but I'm not accepting any internships right now."

"We're not here for effin' internships, man!" the boy blurts out, almost cutting me off. "We need some – OW!"

He is in turn cut off by the girl stepping on his foot. "I told you to let me talk," she hissed at him. Yeah, these two _definitely_ are an unusual pair. She continues in a calmer voice. "Sorry about him. He's rather… brash."

I'd say that's an understatement.

"I'm Makoto Niijima, and my friend here is Ryuji Sakamoto. What he was meaning to say is that we're looking for legal assistance."

Well, that's rather shocking. I'm not even sure if they could afford it. "I'm not sure I follow," I confess.

"Maybe it's easier if we just showed you."

Makoto opened up her smartphone and showed me a news report.

MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL DIET FOUND DEAD IN HIS HOTEL ROOM. SUSPECT CURRENTLY IN CUSTODY IS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT WITH A PRIOR CONVICTION.

I think I remember something like this. It was Masayoshi Shido. He was suspected of all sorts of corruption. I even investigated him since he was connected to White, although I could never figure out his connection. Every time people tried to get close, he had people covering things up. Frankly, having him killed isn't something I'd call a tragedy.

"So, what would you two have any connection to a political murder?" I asked. "Seems like you guys wouldn't be anywhere near such a thing."

"Because the suspect is our friend!" Ryuji interjected. "And he's being arrested on some bullshit charges! Just like that bald asshole did months ago!"

This doesn’t look good. How could he get involved with something like this twice? "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't know if I could."

"Ms. Fey, please!" Makoto called out. Her eyes pleading to me. "His other attorney quit, and we have nowhere else to go. The last person we went to was too busy and recommended you!"

I'm guessing it was Grossberg. Trying to make me earn my keep, aren’t you?

"Come on," Ryuji pleaded, "you're the only one who can help us out! No one else will take the case!"

I hesitated, "…I don't know." This isn't the kind of case I would have taken. And the fact that two high school students are asking me is pretty odd...

Makoto stepped in and asked, "Could you at least talk to our friend? He's in the detention center right now. Please!"

There she goes with those puppy-dog eyes again. Almost reminds me of Wright… I sigh. I guess it's worth a shot. "Fine. I'll talk to your friend. We'll see how things will go."

Both their eyes light up as they heard that. "Woo-hoo!" Ryuji shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "Yes! You won't regret this!" And then he bolted out the door. Well, I guess he wasn't expecting "no" for an answer.

Makoto calmly said to me, "Thank you. We appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts."

It seems I'm in for more than I bargained for. As I pass Phoenix, I remind him to water Charley before I head out and to take care of the office.

And so, I followed these two to the detention center. It was there I learned that this was going to be an uphill battle.

* * *

After arriving at the detention center, we were signed in to visit the client. The three of us waited for quite a while, sitting in front of the glass. It seems to be taking quite a while to bring our client in.

It's already getting awkward sitting with two kids who are probably as young as Maya. And we're waiting for their friend that has been arrested for murder. Crap...

"So..." I begin, "how exactly do you know this boy?"

Makoto spoke up first. "He transferred over to our school during his probation."

Probation?! "Wh- what for?"

"He's not a bad guy!" Ryuji shouted. He sure likes to yell. "He told us all about it. The guy was being a douche and he tried to stop him."

"Ryuji gets a bit defensive about the charges," Makoto added. "Honestly, it would be better if you asked Ren about it."

I guess I'll have to. I sigh, looking at the issues with the case continuing to pile on. Now I've got a prior conviction. The prosecution will have a field day with that.

Finally, a boy with black, shaggy hair and glasses is escorted to the glass.

"Ren-Ren!" Ryuji shouts as he waves excitedly at the boy. I'm assuming this is Ren. "Look! We got you a lawyer! Isn't that great?!"

I don't recall officially agreeing to this.

"This is Ren Amamiya," Makoto says. "He's the one you'll be defending. Feel free to ask him anything."

He seems so, shy. Demure even. He doesn't seem like a murderer. Come to think of it, he doesn't seem like the type of person to have a prior either. Maybe they were telling the truth.

"Hello, Mr. Amamiya," I say. "My name is Mia Fey."

"Are you taking my case?" he asks calmly. "I suppose they didn't tell you everything."

"They had told me to ask you."

He mirthlessly chuckles. "Well, I suppose you won't want to after hearing what I have to say."

I look at his friends and they both show concern in their own ways. Makoto is biting her the nail of her thumb, and I hear Ryuji scraping his shoe across the ground. He seems oddly unfazed, however. I guess I should break the ice and see where this case is going to lead us.

I clear my throat. "So, Mr. Amamiya, I was informed of your prior conviction. It was related to the victim, right?"

There's a short silence before he speaks again. "I was only trying to help." Huh? "The man was drunk. Trying to force himself on a woman. I intervened."

Well, I guess chivalry isn't dead.

"However," he continues, "he had police in his pocket. He had me arrested for assault. Simply for a scrape on his forehead."

"Is that why the police think you did it?"

"Yeah. The prosecutor is saying the motive is revenge. Apparently, they were already investigating him at the time, which is why they were so quick to say I had resentment towards him. They knew he lied."

Sheesh. Talk about bad timing.

"Now, they want you for murder?" I ask. "How is that even fair?"

Makoto chimed in, "Overturning the previous conviction would have let him off the hook. However, the terms of his probation stipulated that he should not get into any legal trouble before it was completed. It was forfeited upon his arrest." She seems heartbroken about it.

As does Ryuji. He slammed his fist against the wall and shouted, "This is totally effed up! Ren wouldn't do something like this! And the moment they find out he was falsely accused because of that scumbag, he gets framed for his murder?!"

Despite his friends' emotions, I could almost swear I see Ren… smirking.

He says, "Don't worry too much about me, you guys. There's not much you can do. They have evidence anyway."

Evidence? "What evidence?" I ask.

"My fingerprints on the gun they found."

WHAT?! Well, this just keeps getting worse and worse. How is that even possible if he didn't kill him?

"Look," he continued, "you don't have to take my case. It's not like the investigation will be on my side."

"Ren-Ren," Ryuji shouts, "you can't give up like this! Please! For us!"

For someone who looks like a delinquent, Ryuji's on the verge of tears. Could Ren really be the killer?

I have to think of something. I ask, "Mr. Amamiya, where were you on the night of the murder?"

He looks away from the glass and chuckles. "I was in the hotel." Dammit… "But I was nowhere near where the murder was."

It's not ideal, but it's a start. "Where exactly were you? I need to know your alibi if I'm going to help you."

I hear a loud gasp from Ryuji. I look back and see both his and Makoto's eyes light up. "Does…" she stutters. "…Does that mean…?"

I guess it's no secret now. I smile warmly at them. "Yes. I'll be taking your case. If you're telling the truth, I won't let your friend be arrested for this crime. That's the reason I became a lawyer. To help people."

"That's… that's wonderful." She seems happy, but… I can't help but notice some sadness in her voice. I wonder why.

My thoughts are interrupted by Ryuji hugging me. "Thank you, Ms. Fey!" he says. "You're just what we needed!"

He releases me and I readjust my suit. He certainly is quite an excitable one. I hope that he doesn't cause trouble for me in court with that attitude, although with how much of an uphill battle this is, I might not be that lucky.

"Yes," I say. "And as your lawyer, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you walk free from this."

Ren nods. "I appreciate it."

"Now can you tell me where you were on the night of the murder?"

He's about to answer, but unfortunately, the sound of the door opening interrupts us. The woman who walks through has dark gray hair, a similarly colored pants suit, and familiar red eyes. She has a stern expression on her face.

"I'm here to question the accused," she says. She starts scanning all of us, seemingly in disapproval. Who is this woman? A detective? The prosecutor? "What are you two doing here? And who is this?" she says while pointing at me. I guess they know each other.

I decide to answer, "I'm Mia Fey. I'm this boy's attorney."

"Hmph. Fool…" she mumbles. Although, I doubt she was even trying to hide it. "Well, you're done here. I need to question the culprit. And you two especially need to stay out of this."

I can see Ryuji glaring at her, but Makoto nervously rubs her shoulder while avoiding eye-contact.

Makoto begins to speak. "We were just –"

"I don't care what you were doing. Get out. Now."

Assertive, condescending, and pretty dismissive. Yep, all the hallmarks of a Japanese prosecutor.

"Actually," I say, "I'm not done talking to him."

She holds her glare. It's honestly kind of intimidating. I have to face _her_ in court? "Listen, Ms. Fey. I have a lot of work to do here, so if you don't mind, I'd like to conduct it."

"But… but I have a right to talk to my client. I'm going to defend him in court. I have to hear his side of the story."

"Yeah!" Ryuji chimes in.

The prosecutor is silent. Nothing's getting through to her. That is until…

"Sis… please…" I see Makoto pleading with the woman.

What the… 'sis'?

The prosecutor sighs and looks at her watch. "Two minutes," she says. She looks at Makoto, "And I expect you to be studying at home. Don't make me repeat myself."

She finally leaves us alone and Makoto breathes a sigh of relief. However, it might be short-lived when I ask, "Who was that?"

Makoto answers hesitantly, "That's the prosecutor on this case… and… my older sister."

"Wh- WHAAAAAT?!" She's… the prosecutor's sister?

"That doesn't matter right now. I'll explain it later."

Right. We only have two minutes. I turn back to Ren. "So, as I was saying, where were you on the night of the murder?"

Ren replies, "I was at the hotel with our friend Ann. She wanted me there because she was doing a photo shoot."

"A photo shoot?"

"She's a part-time model," he says with a shrug. "I escort her on jobs sometimes."

"Well, this might give you an alibi. We could have her testify if things go south."

"We've got her on speed dial if you need it," Ryuji says.

Ren smiles, and I return the gesture. "Don't worry. I'll be doing everything I can to ensure that you are declared innocent."

"We all will," Makoto says. "We wanna help in any way we can." Ryuji gives a thumbs up and a goofy grin. He's pretty lucky to have friends like these."

I smile and nod. "Yeah. All of us."

"Thank you," Ren says.

"If I need to ask you anything else, I'll be sure to drop by again. Try not to fall for any tricks they might use to get a confession out of you."

He smiles and nods as I rise from my seat. "Come on, you guys," I declare. "We're going to have to investigate a bit if we want to find evidence that clears him."

Both of them seem excited. We leave the detention center and decide to go to the scene of the crime. It's a good place to start.


	2. Investigation Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I begin, let me know if you'd be interested in a version where the _AA_ characters have their Japanese names to fit in with the _P5_ characters. It wouldn't take long to make and could be done alongside this one.
> 
> Anyways, that's all.
> 
> **Begin Investigation**

4:35 AM  
Grand Hotel  
Lobby

We arrived at the hotel and it was massive. An incredibly opulent scene with large pillars and a grand staircase in the center. It was circular with some rooms visible from the walls already and gold trimming along many of the major structures. There were chairs in a modestly sized sitting area that look more expensive than all the furniture in my entire office. Truly worthy of a five-star hotel. Certainly not a place I'd be able to go to normally.

Already, the scene was crawling with police either investigating or standing guard. No surprise since there was a murder.

"Huh. This is one fancy-ass place," Ryuji comments. "Definitely not the kind of place I'd expect Ren to be hanging out at."

To be fair, he was working with his model friend. I'd assume she probably got in touch with some people pretty high up in the industry to have a shoot at this place.

Oddly enough, I also notice a woman who is harassing the officers. She has short hair and sunglasses on her head.

"I'm telling you, I'm a reporter," she says with a slur in her speech. So, she's drunk. I guess that explains why she thinks messing with cops was a good idea. "You'll hear from my employer! Do you know who I work for?!"

"Ma'am, please stay out," the officer replies. "This is the fifth time we've had to ask you about this."

"You'll be hearing from my boss! You won't deny me this story!"

She shoves me out of the way as she storms out of the place.

I can already see Ryuji's eyes lighting up as he attempts to go forward. Makoto grabs his shoulder.

"Don't you dare," she says.

"Come on!" he whines. "We need to get to the crime scene!"

"Let's not do this recklessly, though," I say. "We need to be careful if we want to help your friend." I look around and try to find any familiar faces that might get me around.

"Is it even legal for us to be near the scene?" Makoto asks.

"Uh…" I never really thought about that. "I think it'll be fine. Just follow me upstairs."

We calmly walk through the lobby and follow the trail of cops to the room. We make it up to the fourth floor and try to find the room of the scene. Thankfully, I see a familiar face that might be friendly.

"Hey, Ms. Fey!" I hear a certain scruffy man call out. Yep, it couldn't be anyone other than Detective Gumshoe. He waves at me with his big, jovial smile on his face. "Good to see you again, pal! It's been getting pretty boring!"

I remember him from my first trial. He's been around the courts quite often, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that he isn't the most competent officer. That said, he's quite a sweetheart once you get to know him. He genuinely is trying. Even if he isn't the best at what he does.

"Hello, Gumshoe," I reply. "I didn't think you'd be working on this case."

"Well, it's not like I'm doin' much. At the moment, I'm just standin' guard. Gotta keep the public out of this place."

"Oh. Well, does that include the accused lawyer?"

"What are you talkin' about, pal?! Of course, that includes you!"

I didn't even say it was me. Then again, I guess it would've been obvious. Even he could figure that out."

"By the way," he continues, "I don't think that these two high-school kids would be allowed here either."

"What was that?" Ryuji growls as he approaches the detective.

"Ryuji!" Makoto screams, "Are you trying to get us arrested."

"Yeah, pal!" Gumshoe replied. "I'm just doing my job. Plus, I've gotta be chaperoning this Detective Prince kid."

"'Detective… Prince'?"

"Wait a minute!" Ryuji shouts. "I think I've heard of this guy! He's a hotshot high school student. He even works with the police."

A high schooler? Working with _the police_?! What's next? _A thirteen-year-old prosecutor_?! That's just absurd!

"I've heard about him, too," Makoto adds. "He's already solved plenty of cases."

Gumshoe has a burst of anger. "I don't care how good the guy is! I didn't sign up to the police force to be some babysitter!"

"Hold on a second!" Ryuji says, "how come this Detective Prince can be on the scene but you won't let us in?"

"Uh… well…" He scratches the back of his head, cornered. Yeah, that's the Gumshoe I know. He got his confidence back as he finally comes up with an explanation, "Because he's a professional! What do you do?!"

"Come on, Gumshoe," we hear another voice say.

It came from a boy with light brown hair, a brown coat, and black gloves. He smirks at us as he adjusts those gloves.

He continues, "No need to be antagonistic." He holds out his hand for me to shake. "Goro Akechi. Pleased to meet you."

I shake his hand. So, this is the Detective Prince.

"And who might you be?" he asks. "Keep in mind, if you're fans wanting to talk, I happen to be very busy. I, unfortunately, have no time for chit-chat, so you'll have to see about that later. Though, if you have something for me to sign, a quick autograph will be possible."

I guess this is what people mean by "false humility." Still, he seems to have a rather mature aura exuding from him.

I decide to show him my attorney's badge. "I'm Mia Fey," I say. "I'm the accused's legal counsel. We were wondering if we could investigate."

"I'm afraid that won't work."

"What'd you say?" Ryuji growled.

Goro seemed unfazed, however. "I wouldn't want anyone damaging the crime scene. Especially not someone on the side of the accused."

"But he's innocent!" Makoto piped up. "We only want to know the truth."

Goro scans over Makoto suddenly. He rubs the tip of his chin with his thumb and index finger. "Those eyes…" he almost mumbles. "Would your last name happen to be Niijima, by any chance?"

"Uh… yes."

"I see… so you must be Niijima-san's sister."

"Holy shit!" Ryuji exclaims. "I guess you really can back up your detective skills." I see he's easily impressed.

"How do you know my sis?" she asks.

Goro replies, "I've worked with her in many cases. A partner in crime-fighting if you will. Though, I am concerned for her."

"Concerned?" I ask. "Why?"

He mirthlessly chuckles. "Fey-san, surely you know how prosecutors in this country can be. They are quite ruthless. Doing anything to get their guilty verdict. However, she seemed hellbent on making sure Ren-chan was arrested despite the doubts I had."

She'd be willing to condemn an innocent high school student for a crime he didn't commit? That's… _that's insane!_

"You've surely noticed her demeanor, Niijima-chan. Haven't you?"

She nods silently. "That's why we need to solve this case. I know Ren is innocent!"

"In that case, I don't see any reason not to let you in."

We all perk up with excitement. Well, that was easier than expected.

"Hold on, pal!" Gumshoe shouts. "We can't let people into the crime scene like this!"

"I admit," Goro replies, "it is a bit unconventional. But considering that I am an _independent_ investigator, I'm not exactly bound to police protocol. Besides, going behind Niijima-san's back does sound like a fun idea."

"You really mean that?" I ask.

He puts a finger to his lips. "I won't tell if you don't. Detective?"

"Y-yes, sir?" Gumshoe responds.

"Put in a phone call to the SIU director. Let them know I'm allowing Ms. Fey and her companions into the crime scene under my supervision. And be sure to keep Niijima out of the loop for now."

"Uh… sure thing, sir. I guess…" He scratches the back of his head as he walks away to make the call.

" _Alright!_ " Ryuji shouts while jumping into the air. "Thanks for hookin' us up, Akechi! You're not so bad after all."

Makoto rubs her shoulder nervously. "Man… Sis isn't gonna like this."

I agree. If there's one thing that you definitely don't want to do, it's pissing off prosecutors. Especially if Niijima is anything like what Makoto and Goro are describing.

Goro responds, "Well, I've always thought that Niijima-san has been a bit uptight, so I enjoy messing with her from time to time." He says this with a coy smirk on his face. "While we wait for Gumshoe to get us the permission we need, feel free to ask me anything about the investigation."

At least he's willing to help. In that case… "How was it decided that Ren was the suspect?"

"There was security footage of him leaving the room after the approximate time of the murder. Also, we confiscated his bag and found a gun in there."

"Why would he have a gun?"

"We don't know. He kept claiming he had no idea why he had it."

Makoto noted, "Maybe it was planted."

That would make sense if he's really innocent. "What do you think, Goro?" I ask.

He rubs his chin as he ponders this. "It is a possibility, though you'd have to ask him about it."

I guess I will once we talk to Ren again. Hopefully, the police aren't giving him a hard time.

I then ask, "Can we see the footage?"

"Unfortunately," Goro answers, "that's locked under police protection. I do have some considerable pull with them, but it only goes so far. My guess is Niijima-san intends for it to be decisive evidence in the trial tomorrow."

Damn. That certainly would have helped.

Gumshoe comes over again after his phone call. "Good news, pals!" he shouted. "Looks like you three get to go inside!"

Goro clasps his hands together. "Excellent," he says before opening the door for us. "After you."

Grand Hotel  
Room 763

He ushers us into the crime-scene. It shared the same opulent design as the lobby. The bed was huge, and there was a large balcony with a view of the city. However, on the bed was the tape outline of the body with a large bloodstain on the sheets.

Goro warns us, "Be careful with the scene. If you want to pick something up, use gloves. And if you see anything that would be helpful to Ren's case that you want to pick up, I'd be willing to look the other way."

He winks at us as he hands each of us a pair of gloves and we begin to examine the crime scene. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like we'll find much in the room, but it doesn't hurt to try.

I look into the trash can and find something incredibly unusual buried under some old napkins. It looked like... a gun?

"Goro," I call out, "look at this."

He comes over and looks at it himself. "A model," he states. "I wouldn't have expected a politician to be interested in model guns."

"Hey!" we hear Ryuji shout. He races over and ogles the gun. "I've seen a gun like this before! I get models like this from time to time."

Maybe that will be useful. "Can we take this?" I ask.

Goro replies, "I don't think that it'll be directly related to the case. The victim wasn't shot with a toy."

Goro gives us a bag and I hand both to Ryuji, something that seems to somewhat annoy him.

"Hey!" he shouts. "Am I just a bag boy now?"

Is it too much to ask you to just do the bare minimum? Sheesh…

Anyway, Makoto comes to me with another piece of evidence. "Ms. Fey, look at this."

She hands me some sort of plaid cloth. The color scheme seemed familiar. The connection was made when I noticed Makoto's skirt.

"You see it, too. Right?" I could hear the trepidation in her voice.

"It's... from your school uniform."

"Yeah. This doesn't look good." You could say that again.

She goes to Akechi to put the cloth in a bag. After that, she approaches me again.

"What do you think it means?" she asked me.

"I think it means that our uphill battle might've gotten a bit steeper. How common is that uniform anyway?"

"Only the students of Shujun have these kinds of uniforms."

Just what I needed: more reason to suspect my client. "Are you sure there's no way anyone else could have gotten a uniform?"

Makoto shrugs.

"That doesn't inspire confidence!"

She rakes her fingers through her hair. "How do you think I feel?"

I look around and find a little book on the nightstand. I pick it up and start flipping through it. I'm taken aback by what I see. There are names of several politicians that have been killed or committed suicide recently. Was this Shido's? If it is, then it would be the biggest scandal to happen in Japan. I better keep this for my... self...

My heart stops when I notice one name in particular. _Ren Amamiya!_ What the hell?! That doesn't make any sense! Why would his name be in here?

I look over at the kids, and they seem to be busy with some other evidence. I feel like this is something I want to talk to Makoto and Ryuji about privately. If the prosecutor's office gets a hold of this, they might try to cover it up. From my research, he had connections in high places. There's no telling what will happen, so I slip the notebook into my coat.

Goro came to me and says, "If that's all for now, you should probably head out now before any superiors get her. Also, before you go, you might want a copy of the autopsy report." He hands me a copy of it and I look it over.

The victim died at approximately 10 PM. He bled out from a gunshot wound to the chest and took a gunshot to the head. No other wounds were found on the body.

"Thank you," I say while pocketing the report.

"Good luck with your defense," he replies. "You might need a bit of it."

To be fair, He's probably not wrong.

* * *

5:24 PM  
Grand Hotel  
Lobby

After finishing the investigation in the room, we decide to leave. We walk down the stairs back to the lobby. "Okay," Ryuji says, "I'm kinda starving. Let's head out for some ramen after this."

I smile as I'm reminded of Maya. I guess they'd get along well.

All of a sudden…

"Hey there!"

All of us scream as we see the drunk lady from earlier jump out at us.

"I can't help but notice you were talkin' to those detectives," she says. I can already smell the alcohol on her breath. "Mind helpin' a girl out."

I hesitate before I speak. "Weren't… you… being pulled away earlier."

"Tch. Ah, you saw that. Just a misunderstanding. Thing is I'm a reporter looking for a scoop. Considering there's a murder, I might get some inside info. Whaddaya say?"

"Uh…" I'd rather just exit this conversation.

Ryuji decides to voice my exact sentiment. "Buzz off, lady. We ain't got time for none of your shit." Although, my thoughts were less vulgar… and more grammatically correct.

"Oh, sorry," she says. "Where are my manners?" They were probably gone with the first four drinks. "The name's Ohya. Ichigo Ohya." She takes a long swig from her flask. "Lookin' for the scoop. And from the looks of it, you're an attorney. The badge is a dead giveaway. Especially when you've got it right next to your tits. Hah!"

I almost cover my chest involuntarily. I didn't think they were that prominent.

"That means you must know the killer," she added. "So, come on, sexy lady. Why don't ya give your girl Ohya the scoop? Huh? It'll be better publicity to be an inside source to a big scoop rather than the one trying to defend a murderer."

"Seriously," I say as I push her out of the way, "I think we should be on our way." Ryuji and Makoto follow.

She seems offended by it. "Fine then! I guess you're not interested in a prime witness."

WHAT?! We all stop dead in our tracks and turn back to her.

"That's…" Makoto stammers. "That's impossible."

"Far from it, honey! I saw him with my own two eyes."

I rush over and grab her by the shoulders. "What?! What did you see?"

She pushes me away. "First off, personal space." I release her immediately. "Second, I actually saw the guy coming out of the room. Some shaggy headed kid walked out of the scene. He tried to stuff the gun in his pocket, but I saw it."

Oh no...

"I told ya," she says as she takes another swig of the flask. "Now, are ya gonna get me an exclusive with the kid, or am I -"

"Thank you for your time," I say. "We have to go."

The three of us rush out on our way to the detention center.

* * *

5:58 AM  
Detention Center  
Visitor's Room

We arrive there and wait for Ren. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for them to bring him out. He sits in front of us.

"Hello, Ms. Fey," he says.

"Good evening, Ren," I reply while Ryuji and Makoto silently wave to him.

"I hope my sister wasn't too hard on you," Makoto says.

Ren shakes his head. "I'm fine."

I ask, "Did you say anything that might be used against you?"

He shook his head again. "I only told her what happened. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for her. She didn't seem to believe me."

Makoto sighs. "Yeah, she tends to do that. Sorry."

I still need to ask about her, but I'll do that after we're done here.

I ask him, "Do you think you could tell us about your whereabouts that night?"

He answers, "I went to the hotel with my friend Ann at about 8:45 for the shoot."

"That's pretty late for students to be out."

"That's why she wanted me to go with her. It was with a photographer she didn't know, and she wanted to make sure he didn't try anything sketchy."

I can fully understand that.

"After we got to the room," he continues, "the photographer let us inside. There was a makeup artist with us as well. She took Ann in and did her makeup while I helped the photographer set up the lights. Once that was set, they began shooting while I stayed off to the side."

Ryuji blurted out, "Probably some of that bikini modeling that she does." I don't know how that's relevant.

Even Makoto seems uncomfortable with the comment. She sighs and says, "Just continue the story, Ren."

He nods. "After a while, I noticed my bag was missing. I looked around the room for it but couldn't find it. I told the photographer about it and he offered to call the staff to find it. It didn't take long for them to find it, thankfully."

I rub my chin with my finger. That might be when the gun was planted.

"After that," he adds, "we finished the shoot and went home at about half-past ten."

"Did you ever leave the room during that time?"

"No."

Then how did they catch him on camera? "That's odd. We talked with detectives and they said you were on camera somewhere. Now I want to know what they saw."

"It's like Goro said," Makoto noted. "We'll have to see it tomorrow in the trial."

So it seems. "I hope you're telling the truth. It'll be helpful in the trial."

Ren nods.

The guard comes up to Ren and says, "Times up."

Ryuji shouts, "Don't worry, Ren-Ren! We'll get you out of here! You can count on us!"

Ren smiles as he is taken away. Once he's gone, Ryuji says, "Okay, let's go out for some ramen. I'm starved."

He bounced back quick. "Ryuji," Makoto chides.

"What? I'm starving. Besides, I at least waited until Ren wasn't here."

Makoto simply smirks and shakes her head. Honestly, I'm sure Maya would get along with these two.

I sigh and say, "I guess I'm down, but don't think you'll be able to get me to pay."

"Don't worry," Ryuji replied, "I've got my own money. I'll even buy some for you. Might as well be a gentleman for such a beautiful lady like yourself." Oh boy...

"What about me?" Makoto asks.

"Uh..." He scratches the back of his head. "Come on, Ms. Fey! Let's go get some food!"

As he rushes out, Makoto follows after him.

* * *

6:47 PM  
Fey & Co. Law Offices

After getting ourselves something to eat, we came back to Fey and Co. Law Offices. I needed to get to some other cases. Makoto and Ryuji decided to come along with me since I had more questions to ask them.

"Man, am I stuffed," Ryuji exclaims. "So, is there anything else you need from us?"

I think about what to ask them. "I do have a couple of things," I say. "First, I hope this isn't too personal, but how do you three know each other."

Ryuji chuckles. "It's a bit of a long story, but I'll keep this short. Ren was an outcast when he got to Shujun. I've been an outcast for a while after what happened with one of the teachers. The corrupt bastard effed up my life and Ren decided to stick by me when I told him about the shitbag. He's one of the first people to see me for me in a long time. Coincidentally, that asshole is also the reason that Ann became our friend as well. He hurt one of her friends and Ren decided to comfort her. We..."

He hesitates before continuing as if he is trying to determine the right wording for what he says next.

"We stuck together," he continues. "Soon enough, it seemed that the guy decided to confess to all the lives he ruined at the school and turned himself in. I feel like it's because we decided to stand up to him."

That explains why he's so invested in helping Ren.

"What about you, Makoto?" I ask. She has a subtle look of shock when I say this. "How did you meet Ren."

She rubs her forearm. "Well, I'm the student council president and the principal had me make sure that Ren wouldn't be a nuisance to the school. There were a lot of rumors about him going around because of his probation. However, I eventually got the chance to know him. He wasn't anything like what the rumors claimed. He's even... helped me out with a few major things in my life."

Quite a strong friendship. That's something to appreciate.

However, there's still one last thing that's on my mind. "Makoto," I say, "what can you tell me about your sister?"

Makoto hesitates before speaking. "She… wasn't always like how you saw her. It was after our father died."

"I'm sorry about your loss. My sister and I grew up without our mother. I know how rough it can be without your parents around."

"Yeah…" She looks down at her feet. "Well, after he died, she started to change. I think the stress of being a prosecutor and being my guardian got to her. Especially since she was the only woman there. She had to keep up with them by winning cases. Eventually… she resorted to dirty tactics. Coercing confessions out of suspects, coaching witnesses, manipulating evidence… all that to make sure people got found guilty."

Those are the typical tactics of the prosecutors in this country. I've been on the wrong end of them firsthand when trying to defend clients. There was never a time where they didn't make sure I had an uphill battle.

"Eventually," Makoto continued, "she just became bitter. After becoming my guardian after our dad died, it seemed like she just… resented me. I was forced to study hard and get good grades just to stay in her good graces. I hoped that she would at least acknowledge me as someone who wasn't just a burden."

Gosh… I can't believe she'd be like that to her own sister.

"I don't know the extent of the things she's done to get guilty verdicts, but I know it can't be good. Especially when there could have been innocent people. Before, she wouldn't take on cases if she didn't know if the defendant was guilty or not. Now, all she does is take cases and force through a guilty verdict. And every time I try to talk to her about this, she just says 'You wouldn't understand since you're a kid.' It's… frustrating."

I rub the back of my head nervously. "My sister Maya and I were always really close. Even now, while she's living back in our old village, we keep in touch. After this trial, maybe I can help you mend things with your sister."

Her eyes widen. "You… you don't have to do that, Ms. Fey. Defending Ren is enough."

"I want to. I want you to have the same relationship with your sister that I have with mine. It honestly breaks my heart that things have become so strained between you guys."

I notice a tear welling up in her eye, but she quickly wipes it away. "Thank you, Ms. Fey."

"You know, you're pretty alright, Ms. Fey," Ryuji says with a large smile and a thumbs up. "I had a feeling you were definitely more than just a pretty face and nice tits."

I sigh. I guess that's his idea of a compliment. Still… "Thanks… Ryuji." I still appreciate the underlying sentiment. He doesn't seem like a bad guy.

He then looks at his phone. "Jeez… My mom's wondering about where I am. I better get home. Don't want her to be too worried about me."

"I ought to be on my way as well," Makoto says. "Sae's going to be angry if I'm home late."

"Make sure you two are at the trial tomorrow," I remind them.

Makoto nods. "We'll be there."

"Hell yeah!" Ryuji shouts. "I'm not gonna abandon my boy after all."

We all exchange numbers before heading out this time. "I'll call you if anything comes up."

They both nod in response. "We'll see you tomorrow," Makoto says. Ryuji heads out the door first, but Makoto stops before she leaves and says, "Again, thank you for everything you're doing for it."

I smile warmly and nod. "It's my job. And if you need to call about anything, let me know. Anything at all."

She nods with a small, hopeful smile before leaving.

Now, I'm left to do take care of invoices. I'll have to do my best to make sure Ren isn't found guilty. Also… I'll have to see what the deal is with this notebook. Especially why his name was listed in it.

There might be more to this case than just the murder…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Always feel free to provide some feedback.


	3. Trial Day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to add more things to the text to make it feel a little more like _Ace Attorney_ like the title cards at the beginning of scene transitions. I've already edited the second chapter to reflect this and I'll get to the first. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Also, I feel like I made Sae a lot meaner in this one, so keep that im mind.

9:24 AM  
District Court  
Defendant Lobby #4

So, this is it. The first day of the trial. For some reason, I'm still a little nervous. I'm standing in the defendant lobby with Ren going over his case one more time. For some reason, he's calmer while being accused of murder than I am. Does _anything_ faze him?

"Are you okay, Ms. Fey?" he asks.

"Um…" I hesitate, "…I'm just –"

"If you're nervous, it's okay. I'm a little nervous, too." Could've fooled me. You're cool as a cucumber.

"Just put your faith in me, Mr. Amamiya. Keep calm and I'll get you a not-guilty verdict." I hope…

The door opens and we see Makoto and Ryuji enter. "We're here, Ms. Fey!" Ryuji shouts. "Ren-Ren! Are you doing okay?"

Ren nodded while Ryuji aggressively hugged him.

"We came here as soon as we could," Makoto said. "I hope we're not late."

"On the contrary," I replied. "The trial starts at 10. We still have half an hour."

"Phew! That's a relief. Gives us more time to prepare."

"By the way, is there anything last minute that I should know about your sister before the trial? It would help to have a better idea of what I'm dealing with."

"Well, my sister seemed to be in a decent enough mood…"

"That seems like a good thing… right?" Odd that she would say it with such a somber tone.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. Usually, when she has a case that she knows she can win easily, she has a better temperament than usual. My guess is that she has some ace up her sleeve."

"Oh…"

"More than that, I did attempt to sneak a look at her case files last night to get you an advantage, but she never took her eyes off them. Not even during dinner."

My guess is that she knows that Makoto's on Ren's side and didn't want her snooping.

Ryuji pipes up and shouts, "Don't worry, Ms. Fey! We'll be by your side." He gives me a smile and a thumbs up.

It was enough to make me smile a little. Makoto's hopeful eyes are also enough to calm me. I still feel a lot of pressure, but I know I have people on my side.

There's a knock on the door before we see Goro poke his head in. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he says.

"Oh," I say, "hello, Goro."

"I just wanted to wish you good luck on the trial. I'll be in the gallery for today."

"You're not being called as a witness?"

"I shouldn't need to be one. Sae told me he's having Gumshoe up as the first witness. My guess is she's pretty confident about her case."

I could swear that his voice almost sounded offended about this.

"Anyway," he continued, "like I said, I wish you good luck."

He smiles and heads back out again.

"Alright," Makoto says, "let's do it. Are you ready Ren?"

Ren nods.

"By the way," I ask, "are you going to be okay today? You said you were going to be with me on the bench. And since your sister is prosecuting..."

"It has to be done. It will be rough, but... I'm putting on a brave face. I have to look her in the face and show her that her methods are wrong."

I smile. Putting on a brave face? It reminds me of the advice I was told when I became an attorney: the worst of times are when lawyers have to force their biggest smiles.

Okay. Let's do this.

* * *

9:55 AM  
District Court  
Courtroom #2

I stand behind the defense bench with Makoto and Ryuji. Ren was sitting patiently in the defendant's chair. I spend time making sure I have all my files in order. Every time I look up, I see Sae's stone-cold expression as she waits for the judge to arrive. He eventually does, and he takes his seat and slams his gavel to quiet everyone in the gallery.

"The court is now in session for the trial of Ren Amamiya," he says. "Is the prosecution ready?"

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," she answers, glaring at our side.

"Is the defense ready?"

"The defense is ready, Your Honor," I answer.

"Very well. Would the prosecution like to give its opening statement?"

"Naturally," Sae replies confidently with a smirk. "The victim of this case was 53-year-old Masayoshi Shido, member of the National Diet and Prime minister hopeful. He was found dead in his room at the Grand Royal Hotel at 10:15 PM two days ago from two gunshots - one to the heart and one to the forehead. The defendant, 17-year-old Ren Amamiya, is a student of Shujin Academy. He was on probation for an assault charge related to the victim. However, further investigation of the matter determined that the charge was false charge and were in the works to have things overturned. This is believed to be a sufficient motive for the defendant to murder the victim. Unfortunately for the said defendant, he was arrested immediately due to him technically being on parole at the time, thus having it revoked. We have plenty of evidence pointing to him as the culprit, and the prosecution has no reason to doubt it."

No reason to doubt, huh? Looks like I'll have to give her some.

"I see," the judge replies. "So, the defendant murdered the victim as an act of revenge. I assume that his reputation must have taken a toll due to the false charge."

"Precisely, your honor. Thinking that no one would see him as anything other than a delinquent, he simply decided to take his revenge. It is a shame he did not know that he was found innocent."

Ryuji snarls, "Makoto, is okay for me to go over there and punch your sister in the face for talkin' shit about Ren?"

"Only if you wanna be held in contempt of court," she replies fearfully. Judging by her expression, he might actually do that.

I try to calm him down by explaining, "She's just explaining the facts of the case as the prosecution knows them. We'll get a chance to prove her wrong."

He scoffs and says, "Hopefully, judge Santa Clause won't be buying her bullshit for long." A sentiment that I happen to agree with... even if not in the same words.

"The prosecution would like to call its first witness to testify. The officer who conducted the arrest, Detective Gumshoe."

"Very well," the judge replies. "Proceed."

Gumshoe enters the courtroom and takes the stand.

"Witness," Sae begins, "state your name and occupation for the record.

"My name is Dick Gumshoe!" he shouts. "Proud homicide detective at the local police precinct! I carry out all my duties to the best of my ability and make sure that justice is delivered as swiftly as possible."

"That's enough," she barks at him. "I only asked for an occupation. There is no need for irrelevant and _highly_ subjective details."

His confidence immediately deflates. "Er... sorry, sir."

She really knows how to bring someone down. He looks like a sad puppy.

She crosses her arms across her chest. "Now, testify to the court about the arrest."

Let's see what his testimony unveils.

He begins:

**"We got the call at about 10:17 PM from the hotel. We rushed over immediately when they mentioned who the victim was. We sent a squad to close off all entrances and exits from the hotel. We questioned everyone who was there, including the defendant and the girl he was with at the time. He submitted to a bag search and we found the murder weapon. We weren't sure if it was at the time, but it was enough to arrest him since he had a firearm in his possession. However, witnesses in the neighboring rooms reported nothing."**

After the testimony, Sae says, "Did you bring the gun found on the defendant, detective?"

"Yeah! Here it is." He presents the gun in a plastic bag to the court and lays it on the evidence. "It had some prints from the defendant's right hand." He also pulls out two more bags with bullets in them. "These are the bullets found in the victim. One thankfully didn't hit bone, so we were able to examine the ballistic markings. The analysis shows that it was fired from this gun."

The judge nods. "Accepted into evidence," he says. "This all seems pretty convincing. However -"

"You'd like to offer the defense a chance to plead their case," Sae cuts in. "Very well. I shall allow a cross-examination."

"Um... Prosecutor Niijima? It is my job to permit the defense to cross-examine the witness."

"Then why are you not doing so?"

His eyes widen. "Uh, y- yes. Of course." Who's running this trial?

"Hey, Makoto," Ryuji asks, "has your sister always been this arrogant?"

Makoto doesn't respond. I guess it's a sore subject for her.

Oh well. Time to cross-examine the detective.

I'll start by pressing his statement about the blockade. "Detective, can you be sure that you secured the hotel completely?"

"Yeah, pal," he answers. "No one could have gone in or out of the place without us knowing."

"But you didn't get there immediately. That could provide an opening for another suspect to leave the building."

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouted. "Ms. Fey, the murder weapon was found in the defendant's bag with his fingerprints. If there was another suspect, I highly doubt that they would leave the murder weapon behind."

Dammit. She got me there. Think, Mia. What could there be? Hold on a second... the last statement!

" _HOLD IT!_ " I shout. "You said no one in the neighboring rooms reported anything?"

"That's right, pal. What's your point."

I smirk. "I just find it kinda odd..." I slam my hands on the desk. "...that no one even heard the sound of _a gun firing twice!_ "

Gumshoe was shocked. "Well, yeah! That is odd!"

"That is rather peculiar!" the judge exclaimed, equally shocked. "Gunshots are rather loud. It is indeed surprising that not even the adjacent rooms heard anything. Prosecutor Niijima, how would this be possible?"

"The detectives hypothesized," Sae responded, "that there might be the use of a silencer."

There's the opening. Now, I've just gotta get a clear shot. "If that's the case," I state, "then where is this silencer? It wasn't found in the defendant's bag. Therefore, the most you can charge my client for is the possession of a firearm! There's nothing that says that he's the murderer!"

"Alright," Ryuji celebrates. "Way to go, Ms. Fey!"

However, Makoto wasn't in the same celebratory mood. "What's wrong, Makoto?"

She doesn't answer. Fortunately, she didn't have to once I see Sae's face. A confident smirk. No fear at all. Uh-oh...

"I thought you might say that," she says. She opens up her briefcase. "I conducted a search of the place myself just after the defendant was arrested. On the same floor of the murder, I found this."

She pulls out a plastic bag... with the silencer in it. "Wh- WHAAAAAAT?"

"Hey!" Gumshoe shouts angrily. "Why wasn't I informed about this?!"

"Apologies, detective," she condescendingly replies, "but I prefer to keep decisive evidence close to the chest."

That sneaky little... UGH! Both my teeth and fists are clenched.

"I had a feeling she'd do something like that," Makoto mumbled.

"Are you effin' serious?!" Ryuji shouts while kicking the defense bench.

"Coincidentally," Sae continues, "the silence is the exact same model for the gun, leaving little room for doubt considering how specific they have to be. And since such attachments do not alter the ballistic markings, we can trust that the bullets were fired from the gun found in the defendant's bag with the silencer attached."

"Very well," the judge says. "The court accepts this into evidence."

"Thank you, your honor. And thank you for your testimony, Detective. You are dismissed."

"Uh, yessir!" With that, the detective left the courtroom.

"Well, your honor?"

"I see," he replies. "At this point, it does look like the defendant is the one who used the murder weapon. And he was at the hotel at the time of the murder."

This does not look good, _at all_.

"However, this does not paint a clear picture of where in the hotel the defendant was."

Sae smiles. "I figured as much. That is exactly what I intend to prove very soon with some quite decisive and evidence and eye-witness testimony." She must be talking about Ohya and the security footage. "For now, I'd like to call for a 10-minute recess."

The judge nods. "Very well. The court will reconvene after a 10-minute recess. Then, the prosecution will provide this testimony and evidence." With that, he slammed his gavel.

* * *

District Courtroom  
Defendant Lobby #4

Right now, Ryuji is having a meltdown. " _Goddammit!_ This is such _bullshit_ , I swear!"

"I know, right?" I exclaim. "I can't believe she was hiding evidence like that!"

"Like I told you," Makoto says, "Sis will do anything to win. You played right into her hands."

"Yer sayin' she was just screwing with us?!" he shouts.

"Unfortunately."

Ren looks at me with some worry in his eyes. "What's gonna happen now?" he says. "I already said I never left the room with Ann."

"I know," I frantically say, "but if what Goro said was true, it means that they caught you on camera. And if Ohya's was telling the truth, she saw you walk out of the room."

"How could he be in two effin' places at once?" Ryuji says.

"Well, if Ren were in the room the whole time, we have to prove that the person that the camera and Ohya saw wasn't him."

Makoto's taps her chin in contemplation. "If Sae is this confident that the footage will seal your fate, then she may have overlooked some detail that could show it isn't him."

Let's hope it does.

* * *

District Courthouse  
Courtroom #2

We take our respective places at both the defense and prosecution benches. The judge returns and pounds his gavel to stop the chatter from the gallery.

"The court will now reconvene," he says. "Before the recess, the prosecution had declared they have an eyewitness and decisive evidence. Do you have these prepared, Prosecutor Niijima?"

"Of course, your honor. Along with the eyewitness, the evidence we have gathered is security footage from the hotel. If you have any doubts about the testimony, our witness will fill the gaps."

The judge nods. "Very well, please bring in your witness."

Ohya then bursts through the courtroom doors and takes the stand while taking a swig from her flask. Frankly, I don't know if a drunk witness would necessarily be seen as credible.

"HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS, BITCHES," she screams, "BECAUSE THE PARTY IS HERE!"

The judge's eyes widen as he sees this. "Um..." he says, "is the witness... intoxicated?"

Sae crosses her arms and bites the nail of her thumb. She snarls, "I had warned her about this before we got here. I thought the bailiff was supposed to confiscate her alcohol."

She then laughs in my direction and says, "Hey! Look who it is! How's it going, big-titty attorney?!" She adds a wink at the end. I have eyes, you know. Try looking at them for once.

Sae sternly tells her, "Witness, I would ask that you remain professional. This is a court of law." Well, thank goodness she's on my side for this at least. "State your name and occupation for the record."

"The name's Ichiko Ohya," she replies. "I'm a reporter for a very reputable organization."

Sae cuts in, "Ms. Ohya works as a freelance tabloid journalist."

"Hey! I thought I was supposed to be telling you what I do!"

The judge slams his gavel and says, "The witness will refrain from further outbursts of such a nature."

Ohya pouts and crosses her arms.

"The exact details of her profession are not necessary," Sae states. "All we need is her testimony. Are you at least sober enough for that, Ms. Ohya?"

"Damn straight!" she declares with a thumbs up.

"I... I see..." Even the judge doesn't know what to do with this witness. "Very well. Please testify to the best of your ability."

I guess we ought to prepare for a mess...

She begins:

**"I came in at like a quarter to ten looking to get an interview with the victim. I had a good source that told me which room he was staying in, so I went straight there. When I got there, I saw some guy out of the room shoving something in his coat. He was wearing the exact same thing the defendant is wearing now. I knew it was sketchy, so I tried to follow him. Then he ran into the stairs, but when I got there, he was gone! So, I just knocked on the door and got no answer."**

Ohya shrugs and says, "That's about it."

The judge's eyes light up when he hears this. "You... you were scheduled for an interview with Masayoshi Shido?!" Is he actually excited about that?"

Ohya scratched the back of her head. "Well... I wouldn't say 'scheduled' per se."

Sae bluntly says, "The witness was stalking the victim hoping to strong-arm him into an interview."

"Ah, whatever! All that matters is I know what I saw! And I saw that shaggy-haired kid in the defendant's chair!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shout. "That isn't possible! The defendant was in a different room at the time of the murder!"

Sae shakes her head. "Ms. Fey," she says, "I assume you have some evidence to support that. Correct?"

"I..." ...do not! But I've gotta think of something. Come on. You can do this Mia. I slam my desk. "I think that the witness' testimony raises questions."

"Oh!" the judge exclaims. "What kind of questions?"

Alright. Time to bluff. "They will be revealed through a cross-examination."

"Hmmmmm… Very well. Begin the cross-examination."

Alright. Time to think. Where to press first...? How about the source. "How exactly did you know where the victim was staying?"

"Tch, come on," she says. "I'm a journalist. I can't give away my sources."

"But you are in a court of law and you're involved in a murder case! You have to tell us!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "Ms. Fey, what does this have to do with the murder?"

"Well… if we find out the source, we can decide this for ourselves!"

Sae blankly stares for a brief moment. "…Witness, does this have anything to do with the murder?"

"Not a chance!" Ohya declares. "They're not that close to either the kid or Shido."

"Well, your honor?"

He nods. "Objection sustained."

Sae smiles. "Well, I'm still waiting for those questions, Ms. Fey."

Okay, so that didn't go well. Alright, what else… "You said that you saw the defendant. How can you be sure?"

Ohya replies, "Like I said, he was wearing the exact same outfit."

"But this is a school uniform! Anyone could wear it!"

"What about the shaggy hair?"

"Uh… that's a common style of hair! Isn't it?!"

The judge looks confused. "Hm… I guess I'm not up with what the kids are into these days."

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "Ms. Fey, what is the point of this line of questioning."

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shoot back. "These are common traits that anyone could have!"

"I can tell you that the uniform is only from Shujin Academy. It is difficult to get anywhere else. Just ask the two who are standing next to you."

"She's right, unfortunately," Ruyji explains. "No one else gets them."

Crap…

"Ms. Fey," Sae says, "instead of watching you embarrass yourself any longer like this, why don't we just look at the video. Maybe then you'll realize how airtight the prosecution's case is."

"I have been wondering about it," the judge admits. "Ms. Niijima, please show the video to the court."

"Fff…" I start to say. But it's not like I have any other choice. "…fine. Bring in a screen for the footage."

Sae smiles and pulls out a remote to start the footage. And we finally see what Ohya saw. What it looks like is Ren sneaking out of the room with the gun in hand. He's also trying to tuck the gun into his coat pocket.

I turn to the bench and see Sae's smug smile leering at me. "As you can see," she says, "there is little room for doubt here. The defendant is seen exiting the victim's room with the gun used for the murder in this very footage. Furthermore, we have eyewitness testimony that corroborates this."

The judge nods. "I see," he says. "I could give a verdict now."

"That's right," Ohya shouts. "Whatcha gonna do about that, busty attorney?"

"Mia," whispers, "this isn't good! You have to do something or else Ren will be found guilty at this rate!"

"I know, I know!" I whisper back.

I try to think of what to say, but I'm at a loss. I look at the footage once more and there's no doubt the killer was stuffing the gun in his coat with his left hand... wait a minute. His _left_ hand!

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shout, pointing at the prosecution. "There is a clear contradiction with the testimony and the footage!"

Sae chuckles and says, "You just don't know when to give up. Do you, Ms. Fey?"

I smile back confidently. "I'm actually surprised that you overlooked it, Ms. Niijima."

She stares at me quizzically with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me? Where is this so-called 'contradiction'?"

"I would like the court to pay attention to the video. Which hand is the person in the video holding the gun with?"

The judge squints as he observes it. "It appears to be... his left hand," he states.

I nod. "Exactly. And which prints were found on the murder weapon?"

The judge ponders for a moment. Then, the realization hits him. "His _right_ hand!"

"Exactly!" I slam my hands on the desk. "This should be enough to cast doubt about the idea that my client is the murderer!"

Sae is visibly taken aback. Her eyes widen as her face contorts with shock. The whole courtroom fills with chatter at the new revelation.

The judge slams his gavel to calm the gallery. "Order!" he shouts. "Order! Prosecutor Niijima! Do you have anything to explain this?"

Sae stammers, "H- he could have switched hands when using the gun!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shout. "If that were the case, there should have been fingerprints from his left hand!"

She slams her fist on the desk again. "Grrr..."

"Your honor, this is enough to cast doubt the defendant is the murderer!"

"Hmm..." he says. "I see. That does raise some important questions."

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "Then how do you explain the witness and the security footage both giving us a suspect with enough of his description at the hotel at the same time the defendant was at the hotel."

"Isn't it obvious?" I rhetorically ask. "It means that there must have been another suspect at the time of the murder."

"And who would that be?!"

"I... don't know." That certainly took the wind out of my sails.

Sae smirked and shook her head. "Then you should probably think before you speak next time."

Oh, no. I've gotta do something. But what?! What to do...? Wait! I slam my hands on the desk. "Witness!"

"Eh?" she says.

"You claim you saw my client at the hotel. Did you happen to see his face?"

"Huh? His face?"

"The video footage does not show the suspect's face. Ms. Ohya. Can you say without a shadow of a doubt that you saw my client walking out of the room?"

"Uh… well… I guess not…"

"Then there's no way to say that the person in this tape is Ren Amamiya!"

Chatter rises in the gallery again. The judge slams his gavel and shouts, "Order! Order in this court! Ms. Fey, what does this mean?"

"It means that this footage is not as decisive as Prosecutor Niijima claims!"

"Whaaaaaaat?!" She screams. I've finally got the upper hand.

"Good going, Ms. Fey," Makoto says.

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae slams the desk with her hand. "If this footage isn't decisive, then tell me! What could definitively contradict this?!"

This is it. I know exactly what to do. "The girl he was with the entire time he was at the hotel, Ann Takamaki!"

"You… you couldn't…" She has to know about Takamaki from interrogating Ren. Now, she'll have to believe his alibi.

I slam the bench and shout, "I demand that we hear testimony from Ms. Takamaki at once!"

More chatter rises and the judge slams his gavel.

"Order! Order!" he shouts. "Prosecutor Niijima. Would it be possible to subpoena Ms. Takamaki?"

I look back at the prosecutor's bench… and the sight is truly shocking. Prosecutor Sae Niijima, who has been calm and collected this entire time was… looked like a feral animal. She was hunch over the prosecutor's bench, her eyes are bulging out of her face, her teeth are grit harshly, and she was breathing heavily. I don't like where this might go. She doesn't even respond to the judge.

He seems scared of her, too. "M- Ms. Niijima…?"

"Sis…" Makoto gasps.

And that's the moment Sae let it out.

 _ **"FUUUUUUUUUUCK!"**_ It shocks the entire courtroom into silence. She slams her bench repeatedly. Looks like someone's a sore loser.

The judge slams the gavel. "Prosecutor Niijima!"

"You… I had it… I was… how could you…"

"Prosecutor Niijma, please compose yourself!"

Sae reluctantly calms herself down, but it does nothing to hide the anger still boiling underneath.

"It seems that there is some more investigation that must be done to find out the truth of this case. We shall have to summon this Ann Takamaki to testify for us. In the meantime, the defense and prosecution will be given more time to investigate before the court reconvenes tomorrow Is that understood?"

"Yes, your honor," I answer.

Sae hesitates before saying, "…Yes… your honor…" It sounds like her voice is still shaking.

"Very well," the judge says. "This court is adjourned for today." With the slam of the gavel came a breath of fresh air. I managed to buy Ren some more time. And it looks like I'll be able to prove his innocence after all. But the battle isn't over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the evidence we found hasn't played in yet, but I'll make sure it does in the next few chapters.


	4. Investigation Day 2

12:30 PM  
Fey & Co. Law Offices

Ryuji, Makoto, and I returned to the office after the long trial. Ryuji had been celebrating the whole time.

"WOO-HOO!" he screams. "Hell yeah! Did you see the look on her face when you effin' schooled her ass?! Priceless!" He laughs heartily.

"Honestly, I was kinda worried for a bit there," I admit. "I could've sworn she was about to start foaming at the mouth. Makoto, is she… gonna be okay?"

Makoto answers, "I'm sure I'll be hearing about it when I get home today, but for now, we can be sure that Ren's going to have some more time."

"Well… are you going to be okay? I mean, your sister isn't going to be harsher on you, is she?"

"She'd only lash out at me if I bothered her. So, probably best to avoid her for now when she's in a mood. I've never seen her like that before."

"Should we be concerned?"

"I'll worry about her. You just need to worry about saving Ren."

"Good point," Ryuji added. "We've still got a shitload of evidence that we couldn't use at the trial. What do we do with it?"

He's right. "I guess since there will need to be more investigation," I say, "the police might find stuff that we may need to contradict."

"And after being humiliated," Makoto adds, "while doing things relatively honestly, she's going to do her best to manipulate any evidence she can find to make things go her way."

"In that case, we'll have to go back to the Grand Royal to find more evidence."

"Sweet," Ryuji replies.

"I also texted Ann," Makoto states. "She has a gig until four, but she can meet us at Café Leblanc after that. We used to meet there with Ren since the guy who owned it was his probation guardian."

"Really?"

"He's a cool guy! Plus, he does make come killer curry!"

"In the meantime, we still need to figure out some questions."

"Like what?"

"For one, we need to figure out when the gun got in his bag. Also, we need to figure out the mystery of that fake gun we found."

Ryuji inspects it closely. "Well, I haven't seen this one before, but I know a guy who might be able to tell us. He works at a model gun shop downtown. Used to go there with Ren all the time."

I think for a second. "Maybe it belonged to Ren."

"Wait a minute," Makoto says. "Doesn't that mean… he would have been at the scene of the crime?"

Oh… oh, no… There has to be an explanation for this.

"So, we have three things to do: go to the hotel, go to the gun shop, and meet with Takamaki. Alright, we have a lot of ground to tread."

"You may," Makoto says, "but I have to study. I'll meet with you to see Ann though."

"Alright. I'll let you know what we find."

Makoto nods before leaving. Although, with her departure, I’m afraid that she was most of his impulse control.

"So," Ryuji says, "it's just you and me for now. I'll take you to the shop and we'll see what we can figure out there."

Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh on him. He couldn't be too much trouble… I hope…

* * *

1:10 PM  
Untouchables

"Alright," Ryuji says as we stand outside. "Just follow my lead. You don't wanna get on the owner's bad side." I wouldn't think of you as a diplomat, but fine. I'm technically the outsider here. "And do not mention that Ren is in jail. He'll be pissed and think we were careless with the models we brought."

We walk into the shop and it already has a bit of a sketchy atmosphere. But I see guns everywhere. If they were real, you could probably arm a small army with this. I see the owner sitting at the counter reading a magazine. He's tall, wearing a hat, has some stubble, and is sporting a very stern expression. To say I'm intimidated is understating it. I am _far_ out of my element here.

"Yo, what's up, man?!" he says. "Business lookin' good these days?"

The owner sighs and rolls his eyes. I guess he's not exactly a valued customer. He shuts his magazine and tosses it to the side. "Where's that friend of yours?"

"Uh… he's busy right now. I decided to come without him."

"And who's the lady you brought."

It catches me off guard for some reason. "Oh!" I exclaim. "Well…" What should I say? I can't exactly say I'm Ren's lawyer. "I'm… uh…"

"She's my new girlfriend," he says without hesitating. Excuse me, WHAT?!

The owner doesn't even react.

"Yeah, it's a new thing, so keep it on the down-low." If it's a secret, then why are you _announcing it to him?!_

The owner chuckles and says, "No offense, kid, but you ain't the kind of person a girl like her is willing to go to jail for."

"Yes," I blurt out. "I'm definitely _not_ dating him!" I start laughing nervously. "That was just a bad joke." I stomp on Ryuji's toe and he screams in pain.

"So, what's a lady like you doing here, Miss…?"

"Fey. Mia Fey. I'm a defense attorney." I flash him my badge. "And he is actually… an intern."

He quizzically stares at us.

"Yeah. I run a small firm and we're here investigating for a case." At least that part is true.

"Actually, that's a much better reason…" I hear him mumbling.

The man finally stands. "Well, I don't know what you could find here, but ask away."

Now we're getting somewhere. I pull out the model gun from my bag and show it to him. "Would you happen to recognize this gun?"

He looks at it closely. "I think I've seen it… What happened? Was someone being a dumbass and waving the thing around?"

"No, actually. It was found at the crime scene and my intern recognized it when I brought it to the office."

"Do you know who bought it?" Ryuji asks.

"Yeah. Your friend."

"…Oh…" It does _not_ look good for Ren's case.

"Which is why I said," the owner replies, "if he got himself into trouble –"

"He definitely isn't," Ryuji blurted out with a thumbs up and a goofy smile.

The owner says what I'm thinking, "You're a really bad liar boy." Ryuji's fragile façade cracks even more. "You just be lucky I'm merciful."

Seems like it wasn't a good idea to leave things to him.

"Excuse me," I say, "what would your name be, sir?"

"Munehisa Iwai," he says.

"Mr. Iwai, I guarantee you that Ren hasn't gotten up to anything."

"You better hope not. I've gotta keep shot legit, and having one of my customers getting into trouble because of these models is gonna be bad for business."

"U-understood." I don't know why, but his presence just intimidates me into silence.

"Will that be all?"

"Um, yes. That's all."

"Then make room for people who are gonna buy." He sits back in his chair and opens his magazine. "You have a good day."

I bow and step out of the shop. I hear Ryuji shout, "Nice to see you, too! I hope you have some good shit next time I come back!"

While Ryuji may be a regular customer, I would hardly call him a _valued_ one.

* * *

1:53 PM  
Detention Center  
Visitor's room

Ren sits in front of us, calm as ever. "Hello, Ms. Fey," he says. "I am glad to see you again."

"Nice to see you as well, Mr. Amamiya," I reply.

Ryuji shouts, "I'm here, too, Ren-Ren!"

Ren smiles warmly. "It is nice to see you, too, Ryuji. I'm glad you guys are helping me. But where's Makoto?"

"She had some studying to do, so it's just us."

"Well, what do you have for me today?"

I reach into my bag and pull out the model. "I was wondering if you recognize this?"

His eyes widen. "That's mine! Where did you find it?"

Oh, boy… he's not gonna like this… "It was found at the crime scene."

"…Oh."

"Did you lose it that night?"

"Now that I think about it, I might've lost it at that moment."

"When?"

"When my bag got lost."

Ryuji jumps in and shouts, "That must be when they got switched!"

Ren nods. "I checked my bag and thought nothing was misplaced. The gun was the same model of weapon as the fake gun, so I didn't think there was anything wrong."

That must be when his fingerprints got on it. I don't blame him. It is a pretty realistic-looking prop.

"Well," I say, "that does build the case that you were framed for the murder."

Ryuji scratches his head and says, "So… what does this mean?"

"It means we have some investigating to do. We already know where we need to go next. The Grand Royal."

"Right!"

"Mr. Amamiya, thank you for the insight. We'll ask you if we need anything else."

Ren bows to me. "Thank you, Ms. Fey."

As the guards take him away, Ryuji and I set out for our next destination.

* * *

2:52 PM  
Grand Royal Hotel  
Lobby

We enter the lobby and there's already a scene on our hands. Ohya is arguing with Detective Gumshoe.

"I told you," Gumshoe shouts, "that you're not allowed on the crime scene!"

"And I told you, Scruffy," Ohya yells back, "there's a story here and I wanna check it out!"

"Come on, pal! My job's already hard enough! I don't need you making it rougher!"

"What are ya gonna do?! Arrest me?! You don't have the balls!"

"Oh, boy…" I sigh. "She's even worse than you, Ryuji."

"C'mon!" he replies. "I'm a passionate guy! I can't help it."

Ohya notices us entering the lobby. "Hey!" she shouts. "Milk jugs at law!" What is it with you and my boobs?! They're not even that big… are they? "I've got somethin' to say to you."

"If it's about the trial today," I say, "I did nothing to you."

"Yeah you did," she interjects while still scowling at me. "You ruined my credibility as a journalist! I need a scoop to get ahead and get my name back."

To be honest, I didn't think you had much credibility in the first place.

"That's why I need to get in there!" she continues. She kicks the detective in the shins.

"OW!" he shouts. "Hey! I can have you arrested for assaulting an officer!"

"Does it look like I give a shit?!"

"Hey, everybody," someone else says, "calm down."

We see Akechi approaching again. He has a calming smile on his face. "No need for causing such a ruckus."

"Mr. Akechi!" Gumshoe shouts.

"Ohya-san, please understand that the detective is merely doing his job. There is no need to be hostile towards him. You're only a witness, so there's no need for you to be on the scene."

Ohya is about to argue. "But I need –"

"YOU!" all of us hear.

Everyone looks over and sees a heavyset man wearing a suit that would be considered extravagant. It's mainly bright red with gold-colored trim and some finishes or purple in it. He also had, what looks to be, a rather obvious toupee of long hair and a pencil-thin mustache. He's so angry that his face is as red as his suit.

All of us respond with shock, but Ohya especially jumps up in the air. "I thought I told you," he says to Ohya, "not to come back here!"

"M-m-Mister Albertson!" Ohya yells in fear. She smiles nervously. "How's it going? Have ya been working out? Looks like you've lost weight!"

"Don't pull that with me! Get out of my hotel!"

Ohya doesn't even say anything. She just dashes out of here.

Albertson calms down and puts on a wide forced smile. "So sorry about that, officers," he says.

"I'm sorry," I say, "but who are you?"

"Sorry! Where are my manners, ma'am? My name is Grant Roy Albertson. I'm the manager of this fine establishment."

Goro says, "He's been cooperating with the investigation."

"Indeed! If you need anything, I'll be in the manager's office." He says it with an incredibly smarmy tone as he walks away."

After he leaves, Goro says to me, "I must say you did a good job of putting Niijima-san in her place earlier today."

"I just did what I had to," I reply, "to prove Mr. Amamiya's innocence."

"I guess now, all there is left is to prove his innocence. That might be a bit difficult though."

"Why?"

"We already searched the entire floor hallway and the room. We couldn't find anything that could be considered evidence."

Dammit… "Are you sure?"

"You can feel free to look if you like, but there's not much else we can do. We already asked Mr. Albertson about any more suspects, and we're about to look up some of the names he gave us. Come along, Gumshoe."

"Yes, sir," he replies.

"Good luck investigating." Akechi left with Gumshoe in tow.

Was there really nothing else to find? What are we going to do now?

"Ms. Fey!" Ryuji exclaims. "What about looking into the missing bag?"

"Oh, yeah… and I think I know who we need to ask."

His mood drops immediately. "Oh, crap…"

Grand Royal Hotel  
Manager's office

We knock on the door and he opens it up. "Oh! It's you again, madam!"

"Yes," I reply. "My name is Mia Fey. I'm an attorney. I would like to ask you some questions."

He gasps! "Look, I had everything settled last month! I'm not going to let you shut this hotel down! I never even knew the woman! _We don't even **serve** seafood!_" He's thrashing so much his toupee is falling out of place.

Even Ryuji is stunned into confused silence.

I'm having a hard time finding words myself. "I… what?"

"Wait," he more calmly says, "what _are_ you doing here?"

"We're… investigating the murder case."

He breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh. In that case, forget all of that." He adjusts his wig and puts that fake smile on again. I'll have to look into whatever that was later. "Ms. Fey, right? Ask me anything you like."

"On the night of the murder, my client said that he had lost a bag that day."

"Oh! You mean that kid with the glasses. Yes, we swiftly returned the bag to him as soon as we found it. He had specifically told us not to open it if they found it. I have respect for my patrons' privacy, but once he was revealed as the prime suspect, it seemed very suspicious in retrospect. He clearly didn't want us to see the gun he was carrying."

"But it wasn't even a real gun," Ryuji exclaims. "At least, not when he brought it to the hotel."

"Then what would a kid like him be doing with a model gun? More importantly, how did the real one get into his bag?"

I reply, "That's what we want to figure out. We'd like to know exactly where the bag was found and how you found it."

"Most certainly! We had noticed a suspicious man in a hoodie snatching the bag when the boy put it down. There was a bit of commotion at the time, so it was difficult to make out. We tracked him through the cameras and found that he dropped it on the second floor."

"So, this thieving bastard in the hoodie," Ryuji explained, "must be the one who switched the guns."

"I'm afraid I have no idea who the man was since his face was blocked. For all we know, it could have been a woman. And I wouldn't know what would compel someone to steal a bag only to drop it somewhere else."

That'll be valuable testimony. "In that case," I say, "I have two favors to ask you."

"Anything!" he exclaims.

"For starters, would you be willing to testify tomorrow in court?"

"As… long as it relates to… this murder… I'd be glad!" He is straining that fake smile to its limit. I can already see drops of sweat forming.

"Okay. The second is that I'll need you to escort us to where the bag was found."

"Can do without question. Follow me." He leads us to the place where Ren's bag was found.

Grand Royal Hotel  
2nd Floor hallway

Mr. Albertson took us to the floor. We walked for some time before arriving at a potted plant. We stop right there, and he presents the plant to us.

"This is where the bag was found," he says with his service-worker grin. "However, feel free to examine the floor thoroughly. Just don't disturb any of the guests."

"Thank you, Mr. Albertson," I say.

"I'll be here if you need anything. If you have any questions, simply ask."

I nod and look at the plant. Now, it's time to look for some kind of evidence. I move the plant pot around and… huh? I look in the soil and see a black wig. "That's interesting. Ryuji, look at this."

I hand him the wig, and he inspects it. "Interesting…" he says. "Looks quite familiar…"

Albertson screeches. "Uh…" he stutters, "…what, do you mean?" I think I've figured out who this belongs to…

"It looks like… Ren's hair!" And it seems that Ryuji hasn't. However, that does bring up a good point. "I think I've cracked it! The killer used this wig to disguise himself as Ren and killed Shido!" He looks so happy about this. "All we need to do is figure out how he got the uniform and we're in the clear!"

"Oh!" Albertson chuckles nervously and looks like he's sweating. "Is that so?"

For once, Ryuji provides an excellent point. It seems like someone stole Albertson's wig and fashioned it to look like Ren's hair. My guess is this thief also stole the wig. However, with how crappy that toupee looks on his head, he probably has spares.

"Mr. Albertson," I say, "we're going to take this for evidence."

He gets nervous about it. I guess he doesn't want to lose one of his wigs. However, I doubt he'll admit it. "Oh!" he exclaims. "Of course, Ms. Fey. Please! G-g-go ahead and take it!" He rubs his hands together, trying to hide his discomfort.

I smile warmly, and a little mockingly hint that I know what he's hiding. "Thank you, sir. We'll be seeing you in court tomorrow."

"Indeed! I hope to see you here again soon!"

I wouldn't be able to afford to stay here anyway. Still, I smile as I leave with Ryuji.

* * *

4:37 PM  
Café Leblanc

We enter the café, and it had a nice cozy feel. Ryuji and Makoto escort me in and we see the owner, Sojiro Sakura. A middle-aged man with a beard and glasses wearing an apron.

"Welcome to Café Leblanc," he says warmly. "How may I…" However, that warmth seemed to go away once he saw the kids. "Oh, come on. Don't you kids have anywhere else to go?"

Ryuji ignores the hostility and greets Sojiro. "Yo, Boss! How's it going?"

He silently glared at Ryuji. I guess they're not on good terms after all.

Ryuji tries to keep upbeat, but he's clearly struggling. "I… see the café's doing well."

Sojiro sighs. "Ren's not even here anymore. I don't have any obligation to the kid anymore or his friends." He looks at me and says, "I'm sorry about the hostility, ma'am, but whatever these two roped you into –"

"Actually," I respond, "I'm Mr. Amamiya's attorney, Mia Fey. Would you happen to be Mr. Sakura?"

His eyes widen. "What the hell happened to the other one?"

"He dropped him as a client."

"Hmph. I'm not surprised considering how the evidence looks." This was his probation guardian? I wouldn't call him very… nurturing.

"Come on, Chief," Makoto says. "Don't be like that. You care about Ren and you know it."

He crosses his arms and averts his eyes.

"Besides," Ryuji adds, "Ms. Fey got him an extra lifeline! You shoulda seen her in court earlier today! She totally turned things around!"

Sojiro's eyes widen again. "You mean…" he begins, "…the case wasn't shut immediately?"

He's genuinely surprised by that. Then again, anyone outside looking in would've said the same.

"Yes," I reply. "I made it clear that someone else could have been the murderer."

His attitude seems to improve in silence. Makoto breaks it by saying, "You should know he's really a good guy. He didn't do it."

Sojiro sighs and says, "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure," I answer.

"I'll get you a classic then. I'm sure you're busy, but… if you come by again, I can give you some recommendations."

"Make sure your schedule's clear, though," Ryuji comments. "He'll talk for _hours_ about the different kinds of beans and ways to roast them for premium coffee."

Sojiro glares at him.

The boy changes his tune while nervously sweating. He stammers, "Not that I don't enjoy it." He gives a thumbs-up as if thing as if he's mended his faux pas. Honestly, I'm hoping he missteps more. It's almost entertaining when it doesn't put our case on the line.

"I'll go set up a brew," Sojiro says as he goes to make the coffee.

His passion for coffee does remind me of someone… I'm sure these two would have gotten along…

Makoto pulls out her phone and she perks up. "Ann's almost here," she announces.

The bell rings again. "Welcome to Café Leblanc," Sojiro replies automatically. We turn and see… _Sae!_

Ryuji jumps up in shock and Makoto is frozen like a deer in headlights. I'm honestly pretty shocked myself.

"Yikes!" Ryuji shouts. "She's following us!"

"Do you want your usual, Ms. Niijima?" Sojiro asks.

Usual? Wait, is she…?

"Yes," she plainly responds, still glaring at us. "I'll take it to go."

"Coming right up."

She walks forward and takes a seat at the counter silently. Things couldn't be any more awkward as she clenches her fist avoiding eye-contact.

I take a deep breath and try to cut the tension. "Listen… about the trial today… no hard feelings, right?" Smooth, Mia. Real smooth.

"Don't think you've won yet," she replies with venom in her voice. "How dare you humiliate me like that."

"I was only trying to help my client. It's my job."

"And I'm trying to do mine! My career depends on me winning cases. And that means I have to find every defendant I have guilty."

"Even if they're innocent?"

"Tch." She just dismisses the possibility. How could she? "The Prosecutor's office is ruthless. And if you want to make it, you have to be ruthless."

"But Sis!" Makoto exclaims. "That's a terrible mindset to have!"

"Yeah," Ryuji adds. "And especially when you're trying to send my boy to jail!"

Sae glares at him again.

"Uh… I mean, it's kinda bad… when you think about it…"

I never thought I'd see the day that I'd see someone neuter a man with his eyes.

"Say what you will," Sae answers, "but that's how it is."

"Sis," Makoto pleads, "you can't do this!"

"Dammit, Makoto!" Sae snaps. "I'm doing this job to keep us afloat! I'm working to the bone to make sure I can support us both! I spend all my time working to make sure that you have the time to study and prepare for your future! Like you should be doing now instead of spending time with this damn lawyer!"

Makoto is stunned into silence. I've never seen anything like this.

"Wait a minute!" I shout. "You can't speak to her like that."

"Mind your own business!" she shouts. "I'll deal with you tomorrow. And you." She turns to Makoto. "I'm only saying this for your own good. Don't associate with that boy anymore. It'll only be bad news."

Almost on cue, Sojiro places the coffee on the counter for her. "Here's your coffee," he says.

She takes it from him. "Thank you." She gets up and is about to leave. "By the way, I believe your 'witness' is outside taking selfies down the street." With that, she left.

"Wait," I say, "did she just say that your friend was…"

Ryuji sighs and says, "I'll go get her."

He leaves just as soon as Sojiro offers my coffee. "Here you go, Ms. Fey," he says.

I thank him and take a sip.

"So," Makoto begins, "what did you guys find?"

I respond with everything we found out during our investigation. Makoto takes some time to process it.

"I see…" she says. "So, someone switched the guns."

"It's a loose lead," I reply, "but it's the best one we've got for now."

At that moment, Ryuji brings Ann into the café. She's a tall, slender girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. She didn't even look Japanese. She's also wearing a different version of the uniform with red leggings and shorts. She was quite beautiful. I can see why she's a model.

"Sorry for the delay," she says.

"C'mon, Ann!" Ryuji shouts. "This is important!"

"I know, I know. I was only gonna take one, but I got carried away…" She smiles nervously, trying to look innocent.

"Anyway, this is the lawyer."

"I'm Mia Fey," I say as I hold out my hand for a shake. "You must be Ann Takamaki."

She does shake it, but after, she gasps as she looks at me. "Wow," she says. "You look… gorgeous!"

"Um… thank you." I'm used to men compliments from men, but this is the first time from a girl.

"Honestly, you should look into modeling. You'd be great for it. Lovely face, good proportions, killer legs, and that cute little mole of yours would win some points with a few people." She winks at me.

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm fine being an attorney."

"Anyway," Ryuji interjects, "you need to talk about Ren's alibi. We need it now."

"Right," Ann says.

We sit down in the booth across from each other. Makoto and Ryuji stand off to the side as I drink my coffee. "So," I begin, "You were with Mr. Amamiya on the night of the murder, right?"

"Exactly. I was with him the entire time."

"Tell me about when Ren lost his bag. Did you notice anything?"

Ann thinks for a moment. "I never did. Even he didn't notice it going missing. The staff brought it to the room, and he sifted through it to make sure he had everything, but I don't know how he didn't notice the gun in there."

She seems suspicious of him for some reason. She taps her chin as she looks down. "What is it, Ms. Takamaki?"

"He never told me about this… and I'm wondering why."

I sigh. "I assure you there's a perfectly good explanation for it."

"C'mon!" Ryuji shouts. "Don't tell me you don't believe in Ren!"

"I mean," Ann replies, "I don't think he could kill someone, but… I wonder…"

"Believe us," Makoto says. "Ren didn't do it."

"He's your friend, isn't he?" I ask. Ann nods. "Then all you need to do is tell the truth in court tomorrow. You'll be one important witness for corroborating his alibi. Trust me." I have all the tools to do it, too.

Ann smiles. "You really want to help him," she says, "don't you?"

"I do. I make it my creed to believe in my clients' innocence."

"Even if you're not sure?"

"I usually have a good idea at least." She has a point, though. I can't always immediately know my client is innocent. However, at this point, there's no way I can back down now. And I have so much evidence that will get him found innocent.

"Well… if you're sure about it, then I'll believe in you."

We exchange numbers and we part ways. After that, I return to the office. There's no denying that someone else is trying to frame Ren and I know it. I'll be able to prove it in court tomorrow.


	5. Trial Day 2

9:47 AM  
District Courthouse  
Defendant Lobby No. 4

I was there with Ryuji, Makoto, Ren, and Mr. Albertson. We were preparing our defense as we waited for Ann. She said she'd be running late, so that was expected. Ryuji is pacing around the room, muttering something that sounded like concerns for the trial. I only can hear things about Ann being late and what Sae was going to do.

"So, Mr. Albertson," I say, "are you ready to give your testimony?"

"Absolutely!" Albertson says. "I shall give you everything we need."

I then hear Ryuji groaning. "Where the hell is she?!" he exclaims. "The trial is gonna start soon!"

"Calm down," Makoto says. "She said she's on her way."

"But she's the most important witness! We need her here now!"

Albertson stuttered, "B-b-but what about my testimony?!"

I sigh. The things I have to deal with…

Thankfully, Ann bursts into the room, out of breath. "Sorry… I'm… late…" she pants.

Ryuji scolds Ann, "Where have you been?! The trial's about to start."

"I came here… as fast… as I could… Sakamoto." She takes a large swig from a water bottle she pulled out of her bag. "Anyway, I'm ready for testimony."

"Good," I say. "All that you need to do is say what happened. No conjecture, not speculation. Just say what you know, and I'll fill in the gaps."

She nods and smiles. "You can count on me."

Albertson wipes some sweat from his brow. "I do hope this won't take long," he says. "The assistant manager is quite new and shouldn't be left alone for long."

"Don't worry, sir," I answer. "I'll make sure that this is done quickly." I turn to Makoto. "How's your sister doing?"

"Definitely stressed," she replies. "And my guess is she's ready to tear our testimonies down."

"Then I definitely need to be on my A-game. Thanks for the help."

She smiles. "Any time, Ms. Fey."

* * *

10:00 AM  
District Courthouse  
Courtroom No. 2

We take our positions at the defense bench and Sae is already at the prosecution bench. Her mood has improved from yesterday afternoon, but it's still rather foul. The judge takes his seat and slams his gavel to calm the gallery.

"The court is now in session for the trial of Ren Amamiya," he says. "Are the prosecution and defense ready?"

"The prosecution is ready, your honor," Sae says.

"The defense is ready, your honor," I say.

The judge begins the proceedings. "The last time this court convened, we had concluded that there was a need for further testimony. It seems that there is a possibility that the defendant may not have been where the prosecution claimed. For this, the defense requested further testimony from the defendant's companion from that night. Have you brought this witness in today?"

"Yes, your honor. The defense has also provided another witness that should help corroborate the testimony."

Sae scoffs, "How convenient…" Could you be any more indignant?

"Very well," the judge says. "Please call your first witness."

"Thank you, your honor," I say. "The defense would like to call Ann Takamaki to the stand."

Ann walks up to the stand with a large model's smile on her face.

"Witness," Sae says, "please state your name and profession for the record."

Ann replies, "My name is Ann Takamaki and I'm a student at Shujun Academy. I'm also a part-time model. I do some work online and for a couple publications."

"Oh!" the judge exclaims. "A model at such an age? That is quite impressive."

"I'm not a professional at the moment, but I will be soon enough."

He nods. "In that case, I look forward to your promising career."

I _really_ hope he's not thinking what I think he's thinking.

"Never would've pegged the judge for a perv," Ryuji whispers. Unfortunately, I _can_ believe it.

I try to move things back on track. "So," I begin, "you were with the defendant the whole time. Is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am," she answers.

"Please testify to the court."

She begins:

**"Ren and I got to the hotel at about 8:45 PM. I wanted to get something from the dessert counter before the shoot. That's when Ren lost his bag. So, we talked to the staff. We told them to take it to the room we were in at the time. It was about an hour before they found the bag. The staff brought it back to the room. Ren searched it to make sure that nothing was stolen, and he seemed fine. The bag never left the room after that, and we went home. At least, we would have before the police stopped us. They found the gun in the bag and arrested him."**

After the testimony, Sae seems much smugger. "This is your witness?" she says. "That makes him seem a little suspicious, don't you think?"

The judge nods. "Indeed," he says. "It makes it seem like the defendant was attempting to hide the murder weapon."

Ann stutters, "But, wh- why would he submit to a bag search?"

"Overconfidence in my opinion," Sae replies. "Seeming to think that he'd get away with his crime if he looked like he was cooperating."

You're one to talk about overconfidence, Ms. Prosecutor. But It's alright. I have ways to make sense of the testimony. "Your honor," I begin, "I believe a cross-examination of the witness would be beneficial in making sense of it."

"Huh?" Ann exclaims. "But I'm not lying!"

"I know you're not, Ms. Takamaki, but there are some things in your testimony that require some clarification."

She pouts. "You better know what you're doing."

Sae couldn't help but chime in, "I'm starting to doubt that."

Grr… I'll show you, Niijima.

The judge nods and says, "Very well. You may begin your cross-examination, Ms. Fey."

Now, where to begin. I'll start by pressing the statement where his bag got stolen. "So, you left to get deserts."

"Yep," Ann says. "I was getting hungry and I knew I wouldn't be able to eat on the shoot, so I decided to help myself to some sweets."

"An odd choice for a model. Shouldn't you avoid eating such foods?"

"I've got a pretty high metabolism. I do eat a lot, but I don't tend to gain weight."

"Oh!" the judge exclaims. "That is quite fortunate for you. If I tried eating that much, I wouldn't be able to fit into my robes."

"The witness' metabolism aside," Sae says, "is there any point to pressing this statement?"

I nod and say, "Yes, since this is where the defendant lost his bag. Did you happen to see who took it?"

"No," Ann answers, "and neither did Ren."

"Meaning," Sae interjected, "that we don't know if there are any other suspects."

My guess is that it's the same person we saw on the camera. But I'll see about another statement. "Ms. Takamaki," I say, "you said that the defendant searched through his bag and didn't seem to notice anything unusual. Is that correct?"

"Yeah," she answers.

Sae adds, "So, the defendant didn't notice anything unusual about the contents of his bag?" She slams her desk and shouts, "That means that he knew the gun was in his bag and expected it there!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " I interject. "I believe I know why my client didn't notice anything unusual." I pull out the model gun. "Your honor, this belonged to the defendant."

"What's this?!" the judge shouts. "Isn't this… the _murder weapon?_ "

I shake my head. "No, your honor. This is actually a very accurate replica of the same make and model. It was purchased from a shop here in the city. The owner of this shop can confirm this."

"A model?"

"Yes. As you can see, it's the same type of gun as the real murder weapon." I slam my hands on the desk. "That's why the defendant didn't think there was anything wrong when he found the gun in his bag!"

Chatter rises in the gallery at the declaration. The judge slams the gavel. "Order! Order! Ms. Fey, are you insinuating that the guns were switched?"

I smirk as the judge starts agreeing with my side. "Exactly, your honor. This means that the thief who stole the defendant's bag could have also swapped the guns and committed the murder."

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "If that's the case, where did you find this gun exactly?"

"At the hotel. The killer may have dropped it in the hotel."

"And where exactly _in the hotel_ did you find it?" She raises an eyebrow.

Uh-oh… I think she's catching on… If I tell her we found it at the crime scene, it's over!

"What are we gonna do?" Makoto asks. I really wish I could answer that.

"Well… we're waiting, Ms. Fey."

" _OBJECTION!_ " I say. "That question is irrelevant, isn't it?"

"The location of important evidence would be incredibly relevant!"

The judge nods. "Objection overruled," he says. "Ms. Fey, please explain where this model gun was found."

Dammit… I have no choice… "It was…" I begin, "…found on the crime scene."

"Th-th-the crime scene?!" the judge shouts.

"Yes, your honor," I stutter.

"Hmph," Sae says. "It seems that your investigation reveals something suspicious about your client, Ms. Fey."

"HOLD IT!" I hear Ann shout. She looks distressed. "That doesn't mean Ren was there! As Ms. Fey said, it was swapped!"

"The fact remains that this piece of evidence was found at the crime scene! Was it not!"

Hold on. Did she know about our investigation? Is that why she seemed so confident?!

She smirks at me and says, "If you're going to go behind my back, try to have allies that can keep secrets under scrutiny. All it took was a little pressing from Detective Gumshoe and he told me everything."

Gumshoe! He wasn't told to _not_ talk about it. "When did you find out about this?!" I shout.

"Before the first day of the trial. I figured Akechi would pull something like this. I respect his abilities, but he's still not an official investigator. Also, I know him well enough to know he'd try to do something behind my back."

"But… but that doesn't mean that the guns weren't switched." Right?

She shakes her head condescendingly. "If you don't have any proof that the model gun was brought into the hotel, then your theory is nothing more than conjecture!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " I slam my hands on the desk. "The mere fact that the gun was there proves that it was brought into the hotel!"

"And what does this prove?"

"That whoever stole my client's bag was the one to commit the murder!"

Chatter arises from the gallery once again, and the judge slams his gavel. "Order! I will have order in this court!"

"I have more to say, your honor."

"Then please continue, Ms. Fey."

"There is also the matter of what was revealed in my witness' testimony. The defendant did not leave until they were on their way out!"

"Then show the evidence!" Sae shouts. "Without evidence, you have _nothing!_ "

I chuckle. "Did you forget, Prosecutor Niijima? I have one more witness to help corroborate Ms. Takamaki's story. And I'd like to call this witness in now."

Albertson walks up to the stand, still wearing his service-worker smile.

"Will the witness," Sae begins, "state his name and occupation for the record."

"Grant Roy Albertson," he cheerfully says. "I am the manager of the Grand Royal Hotel."

"And the defense says that you can corroborate the fact that the defendant's bag was stolen. Is this correct?"

"Indeed. We made sure that the bag was returned posthaste. We were quite fortunate that it never left the building."

"Well, I don't know how this is supposed to help the defense but feel free to go ahead with your testimony."

You could at least hide your condescension. Jeez…

Anyway, Albertson begins his testimony:

**"The two students notified me personally that the boy's bag was stolen. He said that no one was to look at the contents. He told me where it was taken, and I had the staff use the cameras to see who took it. We saw a person in a gray hoodie and tracked him through the hotel. They lost him around the time of the murder, and he reappeared some time after on the second floor while dropping the bag near a plant. We picked it up and returned it to the boy."**

Everything seemed okay, but he never mentioned planting the gun.

Sae smirks and shakes her head. "So," she says, "your own witness provides no validity to the idea that the guns were switched. How unfortunate."

The judge nods and says, "Indeed, it does. If there is nothing that proves your theory –"

" _HOLD IT!_ " I shout. "Your honor, I demand a chance to cross-examine the witness to clear up some details of his testimony."

The judge mulls over it. "Hmm… Very well. You may proceed with your cross-examination, Ms. Fey."

Sae glares at me and says, "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"Just ignore her," Makoto whispers, "and do your thing."

"Right," I reply. Time to begin pressing. Let's start with his statement about him taking care of the theft himself. "Mr. Albertson, why did you not inform the police about this? It would be the proper procedure."

Albertson starts sweating. "We figured it would be a last resort."

"Last resort?"

"We'd… want to avoid involving the police as much as possible." He starts nervously adjusting his wig again. You'd think he'd be able to afford a better one. Or just have the confidence to go bald.

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "The witness' sketch relationship with the police aside, this has no bearing on the case."

The judge nods. "Objection sustained."

Alright. Then I guess I'll have to find another line of questioning. "Did you happen to find out who the man in the hoodie was?"

Mr. Albertson answered, "I am afraid not. Considering that he left the bag in the end, we saw no reason for us to contact the police further."

"But what if this person took anything from the bag?"

"The boy never complained about missing anything. You can ask him."

I turn to Ren. "It's true," he says. "I checked and had everything in there."

Well… crap… What else can I ask Albertson? "You also say that you lost him around the time of the murder. Right?"

"Yes," Albertson replied. "Unfortunately, we could not find that culprit until he returned the bag."

"That means that there's another suspect that doesn't have an alibi!" I slam my hands on the desk. " _Why have we not found this person and arrested them?!_ "

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "We have no way of identifying him even if we wanted to. After this person's disappearance, there's no way we could track him down!"

"You're telling me the police can't find this person at all?!"

"Well, they _may have_ been able to if not for the oaf on the witness stand!" Albertson's face turns to one of shock. "Had he reported the theft, we could have kept tabs on him throughout the night!"

"Uh…" Albertson hesitates, "…I apologize for this oversight."

The judge says, "Well, some things do slip people's minds. I once misplaced my gavel for three hours. It turns out it was on the judge's bench."

"Furthermore," she continues, ignoring both Albertson and the judge, "there is no connection to the theft and the murder. This is a pointless diversion from the defense, your honor."

Dammit! If only I could prove that the thief was the same as the murderer. Wait a minute…

"Your honor!" I exclaim. "I believe that I have proof that this thief is connected to the murder!"

"You do?!" the judge asks, eyes wide with shock.

"Heh," Sae chuckles. "I doubt it."

"Don't be so sure, Prosecutor Niijima." And I know just what to present. I pull out the wig that we found next to the pot. " _TAKE THAT!_ " I shout as I triumphantly hold it out for the court to see."

The judge blinks. "Is that… a wig?"

"Yes, your honor. It was found near the place the bag was dropped off."

Albertson readjusts his tie. "My, my," he stutters. "What a peculiar article."

I guess he's still feigning ignorance about it being his. No matter. I press on with my argument. "As you can see, it's a dark black wig that matches the defendant's hair. This matches with my theory that the real murderer disguised himself as the defendant."

More chatter arises and the judge slams his gavel. "Order!" he demands. "Order! It seems that this would make a connection to the murder and the theft!"

Now we're getting somewhere.

"Don't be too confident yet, Ms. Fey," Makoto whispers.

"What do you mean?" Ryuji asks.

"Look at Sae."

We look over and see her expression. Smug and confident. Uh-oh. What is on her mind?

"Ms. Fey," Sae says, "can you say without a doubt that there is a connection between the theft and that cheap wig?"

I hesitate. "I- it was found near the place the defendant's bag was found."

She smirks. "…Witness."

"Y-y-yes, Miss Prosecutor?" he stutters.

"Could you please remove your wig? I need to prove something."

He puts on the fake smile again. "I… whatever do you mean? This is my –"

Sae slams her bench. "You're not fooling anyone with that cheap trash." Yeah, I figured it was pretty obvious. "Remove the wig please."

"I- I- I- I'd rather not…"

"There's no shame in baldness," the judge says. "I, myself, had to come to terms with it long ago. I've had many embarrassing hairpieces in my pursuit to cover it up."

"It's nothing about embarrassment. I just… you know…"

" _Remove it_ ," Sae demands, "or I'll come over there and remove it _for you_."

After a moment, Albertson reluctantly removes the wig for the court showing a large bald patch in the middle of his head.

"As you can see," she says, "the wig is very similar to the one the defense has presented. Tell me, would that wig happen to be yours?"

"…Yes," Albertson pathetically states.

"And there you have it. The wig, in fact, belongs to the witness. Not some other suspect!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shout. "That doesn't mean it _wasn't_ used to frame the defendant."

"Enough grasping at straws! You have no evidence to back this up!"

"And what do you have that would implicate my client?!"

Suddenly, we hear a phone ringing in the courtroom. It was coming from the prosecution's bench. "Excuse me," she says as she answers the phone.

"She couldn't even bother to leave it on silent," Ryuji gripes. "Are you shitting me?"

Sae nods and says, "Okay," before hanging up.

"Prosecutor Niijima," the judge says, "do you care to explain what that was about?"

She smiles again. "My evidence. It's on its way right now. If you have nothing else to get from this witness, I suggest that he be dismissed and take whatever remaining dignity he has left with him."

There's not much else I'll be able to get out of him. He just testified to the bag and nothing else. I say nothing.

The judge says, "It seems the defense has no objections," before slamming his gavel. "Very well, Mr. Albertson, you are dismissed."

"Yes, your honor," he whimpers before leaving.

"In this case, it seems that we should take a short recess while we wait for this evidence."

"No need, your honor," Sae declares.

"Huh? Why do you say this, Prosecutor Niijima?"

The courtroom doors swing open and none other than Goro Akechi walks inside. "Because it's already here," he declares.

Was he… just standing there waiting for the right moment to come in?

"And I thought you and Sae were effing dramatic," Ryuji remarks.

Akechi walks up to the witness stand holding a bag. "Your honor," he begins, "we have the evidence for you now and would like to have it submitted to the court."

The judge nods. "I see. Please display the evidence for the court."

He approaches the evidence bench and lays out… a Shujun uniform!

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" I scream. That's… that's not possible!

"As you can see," he begins, "this is a uniform from the defendant. Each uniform has some tags for who they belong to and I checked against the school registry. They do indeed belong to the defendant."

"That's bullshit!" Ryuji shouts. "Where did you get that?!"

"It was found in the laundry room in a back corner. Luminol tests showed that it had traces of blood on it."

NO! That's… Sae? Is this what you were planning?

Sae states, "I had Mr. Akechi perform an investigation after figuring out his assistance of the defense."

"I'm sorry, Fey-san," he says, "but I had to listen to her."

Forgive me for not believing that you _do_ feel sorry.

"It certainly implicates the defendant," the judge comments.

No, no, no… I bite the nail of my thumb nervously. Come on, Mia. Think! What could I do…? Hold on… The fabric! That's it. That has to be it.

"You may have dodged the video evidence," Sae says, "but this cannot be disputed."

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shout. "I don't believe it! I demand to examine the evidence myself!"

"You don't know when to quit! Do you, Ms. Fey?!"

"Ms. Fey," the judge says, "do you have anything that would be able to dispute this evidence?"

"Yes, I do!" I declare. I hold out the piece of fabric from the hotel room. " _TAKE THAT!_ "

"This is… a cloth? Why does the pattern look familiar?"

I smirk. "Because it's the exact same fabric from the Shujun uniforms."

"And where was this found?"

"At the crime scene of course."

Sae is trying to hide it, but I can tell she's shocked. "Wait a minute…" she says.

Goro asks, "What does this have to do with the evidence?"

"I'd be happy to explain," I say, "This means that the uniform used by the murderer was torn. If that uniform was really used in the murder…" I slam my hands on the desk. "…then there should be a tear somewhere in the uniform!"

"GAH!" Sae exclaims.

"Mr. Akechi, would you mind if I took a look at the pants?"

He has a subtle expression of annoyance on his face. "I don't see why not," he says.

I walk up to the uniform and inspect it. I look all over the pants and I can't help the smile that forms on my face as I inspect it. "Just as I suspected. These pants are completely intact!"

Chatter arises in the gallery, but they quell themselves quickly.

"Well, Mr. Akechi," I say as I return to the defense bench, "What do you say to that?"

He strokes his chin with his thumb and index finger. "That… is odd…"

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "This is absurd! You're telling me that some piece of cloth is enough to invalidate my evidence?!"

"Niijima-san, please remain calm."

"Shut up, Akechi!" The boy is barely fazed by her. "You told me you could find decisive evidence!"

"I only find what I can. I did my best."

She growls in frustration. It seems like their partnership isn't as stable as he claimed.

The judge comments, "It does seem like this would cast doubt on the fact that this was used in the murder."

Sae slams her fist on the desk. "Then how do you explain the blood?!"

"I can't be sure, but whatever happened, this uniform was not at the crime scene! It cannot be used as evidence against my client!"

"NOOOOOO!"

An uproar comes from the gallery. The judge slams his gavel repeatedly. "Order in the court!" he shouts. "Prosecutor Niijima, do you have anything to say to this?"

"I… It… Akechi!"

"Hm?" he replies calmly.

"You told me you'd find the evidence!"

"Ah, I see. Throwing me under the bus for an order you gave." He smiles, but I can't help but feel a layer of sarcasm under it.

Sae groans and holds her head in her hands in frustration. It seems that we've got her again. I see Ryuji smiling from the corner of my eye, but I also see Makoto seem more somber.

The judge says, "It seems that both the defense and the prosecution could not produce conclusive evidence for their sides. It is clear that there is a need for more investigation."

Sae stands across from us in a sour mood. To be fair, I don't blame her.

He continues, "Both sides have one day left to find evidence to prove their side. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your honor," Sae and I say.

He nods. "This court is adjourned." He slams his gavel and that concludes the court for today.

* * *

11:50 PM  
District Court House  
Defendant Lobby No. 4

Phew! That was a close one. It seems that I have one more day to prove my case.

Ann comes up to me and says, "Looks like Ren might get off the hook after all."

"It certainly does," I answer.

"I do hope my testimony helped. It seems like it may not have."

"We'll see how it goes, but you did give Ren an alibi."

Ren says, "I do appreciate the help, Ann."

Her face lights up with a large smile. "Thanks," she says. "Don't worry, Ren. I believe that you'll get declared innocent. Especially with Ms. Fey around."

"No kidding," Ryuji adds. "You're doing amazing! I knew it was a good idea to go to you!"

It feels good to be appreciated.

"Anyway," Ann says, "I need to go to another shoot. Since I don't have Ren, I'll need you to come with me, Ryuji."

"Aww!" he exclaims. "I was hoping to help investigate!"

"This one's going to be a bikini shoot." She has a coy grin on her face. And if I know him from these past few days…

"Uh… well, I guess I could… if it's necessary… heh heh…" He can barely hide the delight at this prospect. "Good luck with the investigation, you guys."

And with that, they're gone.

"So, what happens to me?" Ren asks.

"Back to the detention center for now, unfortunately," I say. "We'll find the evidence you need."

He nods and lets the police escort him away. Now, it's just me and Makoto. However, she brings up a fair point. "Ms. Fey," she says, "what do we do now? We have no idea where any leads could be."

"Uh…" Dammit! I didn't think of that.

"You didn't think that far ahead?!"

"I don't know! I've just been working with what I have and now, I don't have anything!"

"Oh, no…" She buries her face in her hands. A fair reaction when you realize your lawyer is flying by the seat of her pants.

"L- look. I haven't failed you so far. Just let me think."

Makoto sighs. "I guess we don't have a choice."

"You didn't have to sound so disappointed about it!"

"Sorry..."

It seems the uphill battle just gets steeper and steeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really looking forward to Day 3! Some of you might see where this is going, but still going to be pretty crazy. Let me know what you think.


	6. Investigation Day 3

2:48 PM  
Café Leblanc

Makoto and I sit at the counter sipping our coffee. We're stumped trying to think of any other way we can get Ren exonerated.

"I do hope you're paying for these," Sojiro says. "This is your fifth cup."

"I will," I reply.

"Just as long as you don't go into cardiac arrest. I might have to cut you off soon."

Honestly, I can see why… someone would do this. It oddly eases the stress. And my situation is providing a lot of stress. Every last lead has dried up. Chances are there isn't any evidence left at the hotel, and they didn't bother to find the thief.

"Ms. Fey," Makoto says, "do you have _any_ ideas?"

"If I did, I would have noted it by now," I grumble through gritted teeth. I rub my temples.

"Well, what's left to look into?"

I think for a second. "Hmm... that thief is the only thing we can use to link to the crime, but there's no way we can really say for sure."

Makoto sighs. "Not unless we can find him."

"Um... excuse me?" we hear a voice say.

I turn and... "AHH!" I fall off the stool and flat on my butt when I see the person talking to us. It was some girl with a very bizarre... mask...? Helmet...? I don't know. All I _do_ know is it looks weird. "Um... sorry, I was... a bit... who are you?"

She doesn't say anything. However, I notice that both Makoto and Sojiro aren't fazed by this bizarre person. In fact, they look exasperated by it.

"Futaba," Sojiro sighs, "please take off the mask."

Futaba? Is that her name?

"I don't know her!" she yells while shaking nervously. "They can't know who I am. Also, why did you say my name Sojiro?"

He sighs and says, "Sorry about her, Ms. Fey. She's my adopted daughter. She's not comfortable meeting new people and she only does so with that... thing on her head."

Oh, I see. She's just shy.

"It is important to have!" Futaba yells. "I'm not taking it off!"

"Futaba," Makoto says, "this is the attorney helping Ren. You don't have to be scared."

"Helping Ren? Is that so?"

"Well..." I say, "...I'm trying at least."

Sojiro says, "It's true. I was sure he'd get convicted by now, but she kept that from happening."

"Hmm..." she says. "Okay! I'm helping!"

"What?" I ask.

"I said I'm helping!"

"Uh... Futaba," Sojiro says as he scratches his head, "I don't know how..."

"No, I am helping! Ren helped me, so I'm definitely going to help him!"

Um... Okay. I guess if she wants to help, I could let her. If Ryuji and Makoto were going to help, it couldn't hurt.

"I... appreciate the sentiment... but I'm not sure what you could do."

"Then, tell me what you need help with," Futaba replies.

Makoto explains, "We're looking for a thief, but they weren't followed out of the hotel. There may have been street cameras, but there's no way to track him down."

"Easy!" I'm sorry, what? "Follow me."

Sojiro is surprised as well. "Futaba!" he says. "Y- you're really going to... let people in your room?"

"This is an emergency! Come with me to my lair!"

"Wow," he exclaims with a smile, "you're really improving -"

"No time to congratulate me! This is only a one-time thing!" She then looks at me. "Ms. Lawyer! You should be honored! Now, let's go to my lair!"

She runs out, but not before bumping her helmet-thing on the doorframe.

I hesitantly ask, "Is she going to take that off?"

"Eventually..." Makoto answers.

"Also, where are we going?"

"My place," Sojiro says. "She's my daughter, and she's usually hold up in her room. It's a big step for her letting you in like this."

"Let's go!" Futaba yells after rushing back in. I guess we have no choice.

* * *

2:52 PM  
Sakura residence  
Futaba's room

We enter the room, and it is total chaos. It's clear that not only does she not leave here often, but she really doesn't bother to clean it. In the back, there a large computer with several monitors. It looks pretty high-tech. I can't even keep up with regular computers. I couldn't even begin to understand this.

"Welcome to my lair!" Futaba announces. "Impressive, right?"

It is impressive... ly messy.

"Futaba," Makota asked, "do you think you could take off the mask?"

Futaba starts shaking. "Uh…" she stutters, "…I'd rather… not…"

"Futaba…"

"I can't do that, Mako-chan!"

"You can trust her, can't you? I mean, you let her in here."

Futaba sighs. "Okay…"

She finally removes the helmet and shows her face. She looked younger than Makoto, and she had large, round glasses and red hair.

"See?" Makoto says. "That wasn't so hard."

"…I guess," she pouts.

"So..." I begin, "what is it that you can help me with?"

"Oh! Right!" She seemed to perk up rather quickly. "You said you needed to find that thief!"

"Yeah, but the hotel never paid attention to him after the bag was returned."

"What did he look like?"

"All we know is that they had a gray hoodie. His hood was obscuring their face."

She snaps her fingers. "Leave it to me." She jumps in her seat and her fingers fly across the keyboard.

"Wh- what are you doing?"

"Hacking into the security systems. I'm going to pull up the footage of and around the hotel."

My eyes widen. "You can do that?!"

"Well, I can. I am a hacking pro."

"Way to go, Futaba!" Makoto says.

"Um…" I hesitate, "…is this… you know… legal?"

"To be fair, it is a bit late to be worried about that." She smirks at me and winks.

She does have a point. "Very well."

It doesn't take her long until she gets the security footage at the Grand Royal Hotel. "Bingo!" Futaba shouts. The figure with the gray hoodie shows up leaving the hotel. "Is that the guy?"

"That's him!"

"Then let's get the traffic cams from around there and follow him."

It takes some time, but we follow him back to an apartment. "Apartment 108!" she says.

"That's it!" I declare. "We can finally find out who stole the bag!" And with that, we may be able to find the real murderer. "Futaba, you're amazing!"

"And we'll be able to find out who lives there. Just give me some time to run some background checks."

You know, it's kinda scary how easy this is for her. I'm glad that she's not a bad person at least. Although, that devious grin of hers isn't really easing my fears.

She takes some time to pull up the identity of the owner and…

" _WHAAAAAT?!_ " we all say. The person who owns that apartment is… _Goro Akechi?!_

"Th-th-the Detective Prince?!" Futaba shouts in disbelief.

"But…" Makoto begins, "he was helping us! He even investigated the crime!"

No… It can't be… How could this happen?!

"We need to go there right now!" I declare.

"To do what?" Makoto asks.

"Find evidence. If he's been investigating the crime and he's the real killer, he probably hid some evidence of the crime!"

"I wanna go, too!" Futaba shouts.

"No, you should stay. Your father would –"

"We're going to investigate a murder! I'm coming!" She grabs a backpack and whips it on.

"Uh…"

Makoto says, "Futaba… you're really going to go out? In public?" Oh, I see what she's doing.

Futaba's eyes widen. "Oh…" she says. Of course, she wouldn't want to go outside. She wouldn't be able to take it. I can already see her shaking nervously.

"I thought so. Come on, Ms. Fey. Let's –"

Futaba suddenly rushes to find her mask and puts it on. "Okay, I'm ready to go!"

Makoto cringes knowing that her plan failed. She sighs and rubs her arm.

"I guess we don't have a choice," I say. "Let's go."

I don't believe it, but it seems that we have found our suspect… and I don't like how this looks.

* * *

3:30 PM  
Apartment Building  
Apartment 108

We approach the door of the apartment. "This is it," Futaba says.

"It sure is," I reply. I knock on the door and wait. Nothing. I knock again. Still nothing.

"I don't think he's home," Makoto notes.

Rats. Though I don't know how we'd be able to investigate. "So," I say, "did anyone have any idea on how to get in?"

"I dunno."

What?! "You mean we came all this way without some method of getting in?"

"I'm just a hacker. Unless this has some electronic lock, I can't do anything."

I facepalm from frustration. "Dammit…"

Makoto sighs as she pulls some tools from her pockets. She goes down to the lock and starts picking it.

"Where did you learn that?" I ask.

"Well…" he hesitates, "…let's just say that I have attempted to break into Sae's office at the Prosecutor's Department."

I really hope she hasn't been doing that for me. I never would have expected this out of her…

"Got it," she announces as the door opens.

We enter the apartment. It's fairly plain with a small couch in the living area and a fairly clean kitchen across from it.

"Okay," I say, "let's see if we can find anything. Don't misplace anything, you guys."

"Roger, captain," Futaba shouts as she salutes.

Let's see if you've left anything behind, Akechi…

We enter a room down the hall, and it looks to be his office. There are case files scattered all over the place. There's also a corkboard with newspaper clippings pinned on it. He also has some pictures of Ren up there.

"This must be his evil lair," Futaba muses. "I'm sure we'll find something in here."

"Was he keeping tabs on Ren?" I ask.

Makoto responds, "That doesn't make sense. There's no need for him to do that."

"I'll just take a picture," Futaba says, "just to be sure we have that."

I look around for some clues. Anything at all. Think, Mia. Where would he hide evidence of a crime?

I look around under his desk and in drawers to find something that might work. Thankfully, I find it under the desk. It's an electronic safe. This has to be it.

"Futaba," I call out, "do you think you could open this safe?"

She looks at it for a moment and tilts her head quizzically. "Leave it to me!" she says proudly. "I've seen a safe like this before." She opens her backpack and pulls out what I assume is her hacking supplies. "I'll need about ten minutes."

"We'll stand guard," Makoto says. "Come on, Ms. Fey." We stand outside the room, waiting for Futaba to finish breaking open the safe.

"I can't believe Akechi is the killer," I say. "Wasn't he helping us?"

"I don't know what motive he would have. And I don't know how he would even have access to Shido." Makoto taps her chin.

"Publicly, he was set to be the prime minister who was going to help the country. However, I've investigated and found some dubious connections. Maybe he knew about it."

"If so, then why frame Ren?"

"Convenience? Maybe he knew that the charge was false and figured it would be a good way to keep suspicion away from him."

I mean, if he's willing to commit murder, framing an innocent person for the crime isn't out of the question. It's just… difficult to understand.

"It's open!" We hear Futaba say. We look back and see Futaba in front of the safe door ajar. This is it. Time to see what he's hiding.

We open the case and see a few things. A Shujin academy uniform, a wig, and a hotel keycard.

"No way," Makoto exclaims. I can already see the rage filling her. "That… that _bastard!_ "

"M- Makoto!" I stutter.

" _I'll fucking kill him!_ "

"Makoto, calm down! You need to keep your head on your shoulders. We're going to expose him in court."

She calms herself down. "I know, but… I can't believe he'd do this!"

Futaba says, "We'll need to keep this evidence."

We stuff them in my bag, in a rush. However, there's also one more thing that I find in the safe. A small notebook. I inspect it and it seems to be a list of names… Wait a minute. I've seen these names before! I pull out the notebook and find the exact same names!

"Guys!" I yell. "Take a look at this!" They look each book over. "I found this notebook at the crime scene. I'm guessing it belonged to Shido. It read out like a hit list."

"Yeah," Makoto says, "it seems like there are a lot of familiar names…"

"They're people in high places who have ended up committing suicide."

Futaba asks, "You think Shido had something to do with them?"

"Indeed. And considering that he has the same thing…"

"It's a connection to the victim!"

I don't believe it, this is –

"It seems that I'll need to ask for a refund on that safe." We hear a voice say, startling all of us. We turn around and my fear was confirmed. Akechi stands there with a death glare pointed at all of us. "To think it would be broken by someone like you."

"Akechi!" I shout.

"I should have made sure that those things were destroyed. I just never had a moment alone to get rid of it."

Makoto yells, "You piece of shit!"

He doesn't even raise his voice. "I'm pretty sure breaking and entering is against the law. You should know this, Fey-san."

"S-so is murder!" I stutter. "You're the one who killed Shido!"

He chuckles and shakes his head. "And here I thought you wouldn't come to the conclusion."

"Akechi!" Makoto shouts. "You're terrible!"

"Don't act like anyone of you is upset about that corrupt man getting what he deserves."

"But framing Ren?! What did he ever do to you?!"

"That's my business. As is all this evidence that you've gathered."

"You're wrong," I say. "You're not getting away with this!"

He glares and gives a sinister smirk. "So, you're going to present illegally obtained evidence?"

Damn! He... he's not wrong. "But what about your evidence? You're not with the police!"

"What are you getting at, Fey-san?"

"If... If we can prove that it is related to the case, we can have you convicted for the murder."

He sighs. "I was hoping that you would be deterred from using this evidence, but you leave me no choice." He reaches into his coat and pulls out... a _gun!_ Oh, no! I freeze in my tracks. "I suppose I'll have to silence all of you."

"Ms. Fey!" Futaba shouts. "He has a gun!"

"I noticed!" I shout back.

Makoto asks, "Why are you doing this?"

"If you won't go quietly..." he says. Suddenly, his eyes become more deranged. It's like he's a totally different person! "...I'll have to _quiet you_ myself."

"You..." I hesitate. "...what reason would you have to kill Shido?"

"As I said, he's corrupt. You would know that."

"But he should be tried in court!"

He laughs. "There's no way for the courts to touch him. Besides, he's done things that are beyond your comprehension, Fey-san. I do regret the fact that Mako-chan and Futaba-chan have dragged you into this. You should be careful tampering with a world you don't fully understand."

"Y- you…" Makoto stutters, "…you mean… you _know?_ "

What? What is he talking about?

"Of course, I know. As did Shido. But it is too dangerous to be used by anyone. And I'll make sure of it."

"Makoto," I ask, "what is he saying?"

"Oh, poor Fey-san. Do not concern yourself. Even if she did explain, you won't live long enough to use that information."

Out of nowhere, Makoto grabs Akechi's arm and attempts to disarm him! She even ends up pinning him on the ground!

"What the hell!" he exclaims.

"GO!" she shouts. "I can handle him!"

I stutter, "B- But what about –"

"Don't worry about me! Take the evidence and run!"

"Come on, Ms. Fey," Futaba calls out to me as she grabs my wrist. While I didn't want to, I was forced to leave Makoto behind. All I could do was hope that she'd be okay without us.

* * *

4:25 PM  
Fey and Co. Law Offices

Futaba and I barely escaped from Akechi. From there, we jumped on a train to head back here.

"Do you think Mako-chan will be okay?" Futaba asks.

"It's hard to say," I reply.

"But Akechi… he might've killed her!"

"There's no way he'd get away with murdering the prosecutor's sister at this point." Maybe that's why he decided to stay behind.

"Still… I'm worried…"

"That's natural, but at least we have the evidence. Can you hold on to it?"

"Sure thing!"

Futaba's phone rings and she answers it. "Sojiro?" I hear Sojiro shouting on the other end. It's not even on speaker. "Can you calm down? We didn't do anything… wait, what?!" I don't like the sound of this. "I'll be there soon." She hangs up. "The police are at LeBlanc!"

"What?!"

"I have to get there right now!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" we hear someone scream.

Ryuji bursts in, completely out of breath. "Ryuji!"

He speaks between pants "Ms. Fey… It's bad… really bad… oh, shit…"

"Ryuji, what happened?"

"Makoto… she's been… arrested!"

WHAT?! "How did this happen?!"

"Don't know… what were you… doing…?"

"Let me get you some water first." I rush over to the water cooler to get him a cup.

He gulps it down as soon as I hand it to him. "They say she's being arrested for assault! What happened with you guys?!"

"I'll explain it later when we get to the detention center. Let's get Futaba home first."

"Futaba?!" His eyes widen when he sees her. _He just noticed?_

"Hey, Ryuji!" she says. "Trust me, it's crazy."

"Futaba," I say, "let me know what goes on at LeBlanc. We're headed for the detention center."

* * *

4:52 PM  
Detention Center  
Visitor's room

After dropping Futaba off, we rush straight for the detention center. I wait for Makoto on the edge of my seat with Ryuji. "So, what the hell happened?" he asks.

"Let's just say," I reply, "that we got in some trouble with the real murderer."

"For real?!"

"I can't say too much right now. We'll wait for Makoto."

Thankfully, it's not long until Makoto is brought in. She has a sober expression on her face, but it perks up when she sees us. "Ryuji!" she shouts. "Ms. Fey!"

"Are you okay?" Ryuji asks.

"I'm fine. Ms. Fey, did you get the evidence?"

"It's safe… for now, at least."

She has a small smile. "Good."

"Senpai," Ryuji says, "What the eff is going on?!"

"Akechi." Her expression becomes stern.

"Huh?!"

"It was Akechi. He's the one who killed Shido and framed Ren."

Ryuji is just as surprised as we were. "You can't be serious."

"We found out that he was the thief, and he had the uniform in a safe at his place. He cornered us and held us at gunpoint."

"That son of a bitch!" He slams his fist on the glass. "He's acting like a good guy, but he did this shit?! That rotten bastard!"

Makoto's expression does not change. "I fought him off so Ms. Fey and Futaba could escape. However, he had me arrested."

"You fought him off?! Badass!"

She proudly smirks. "I have aikido training. However, I wasn't able to hold him off for long. I did my best."

"He didn't report us?" I ask.

"I doubt he would report you for the theft of evidence that would incriminate him."

Maybe that means we're safe for now.

"Well," I say, "I'd be able to defend you if something happened."

"That won't be necessary, Ms. Fey."

We hear the door slam open and Sae bursts through. "Makoto!" she shouts. "Are you hurt?!"

Makoto averts her eyes. "I'm fine, Sis."

"Don't worry! I've gotten the charges dropped." I guess that's why she decided to stay behind. Having a sister at the prosecutor's office would be beneficial. "What the hell were you thinking?! What were you even doing there?!"

"That's none of your business."

"It _is_ my business! I nearly had a heart attack when I heard you were down here!"

"Sis, stop!"

"That's it. I'm you're not spending any more time with any of these people. I'm taking you straight home and you're focusing on only your studies!"

"No, I'm not… I'm going to Ms. Fey's office to discuss the case."

Sae is taken aback. "Like hell you are! You're going home! Getting charged for assault would have ruined your chances for good colleges!"

" _I don't give a shit about that anymore!_ " Sae's eyes widen. "You've always put pressure on me to do good in school as if that's all I'm worth! Don't stand there and act like you care about me now!"

I could swear Sae's eyes are twitching. Ryuji and I can do nothing but helplessly stand to the side awkwardly. "How… how could you say that?"

"Because you've changed. The reason I've been doing all of this was for your good."

"How could you know what's best for me?! You're just a child!"

"Stop saying that! You're trying to have an innocent person sent to jail. The only way to show you the error of your ways, we have to prove that Ren is innocent. You _have_ to see the truth."

Sae is speechless for a moment. "You'll be released soon. You should be grateful." With that, she storms out.

"Well," Ryuji says, "that was… awkward." Great timing, Ryuji.

I look back at Makoto with a somber expression. "I'm really sorry, Makoto," I say.

She breathes a sigh of relief before saying, "It's okay."

"It's not okay! I promised I'd help you and your sister and… I just did nothing."

"You'll do something." What? "In the trial tomorrow. You have the evidence. All you need to do is use it to prove Ren innocent and prove that Akechi is guilty."

That… that's right! I have the evidence. I can show how wrong she was. Maybe this would help rebuild the shattered relationship.

"I will. I can do this. I won't let you down."

She finally smiles and nods. "Thank you, Ms. Fey."

* * *

5:15 PM  
Fey and Co. Law Offices

Makoto was released fairly quickly after the paperwork was submitted. After that, the three of us headed back to the office.

"Okay," Ryuji says, "show me what this evidence that you got is."

I grab the bag and pull out the uniform. "This is it," I say. "We didn't exactly have much of a chance to examine it before, but we'll have time now."

"First things first," Makoto begins, "is the matter of the cloth."

I examine the pants to see if we can find any tears in it. Thankfully, we do find the tear and it matches the cloth found at the scene.

"YES!" Ryuji shouts. "We've got something solid!"

"We also know he was keeping tabs on Ren," Makoto adds, "so that might explain how he knew about the gun."

"And with these notebooks," I conclude, "it proves there's some kind of connection to the victim. I don't know what, but this cannot be a coincidence."

"All that's left is to skirt around the dubious way we got it."

"Don't worry. If we can prove that this stuff has something to do with the murder, we can prove that he was guilty of obstruction of justice. There's no way that he can get around hiding evidence like this."

My phone rings and I pick it up. "Hello?"

"Your friendly neighborhood hacker here!"

"F- f- Futaba? Wait, how did you get my cellphone number?"

"Are you really surprised?"

I thought about it for a second. "Actually, not really."

"It's all I could do to when you forget to give me your cellphone number."

Shoot. "Sorry about that."

"Anyway, are Ryuji and Makoto there?"

"Yes, they are."

"Then get me on speaker." I do just that. "How's it going, guys? Makoto, are you okay?"

"We're good," Makoto says. "I got out of the detention center pretty quickly."

I ask her, "What's going on at LeBlanc?"

"They decided to search Ren's room," Futaba replies. "My guess is they're finally trying to find evidence in there that might implicate him."

"Likely on Sae's orders," Makoto says. "Like us, she's down to the wire on this case."

They'll probably 'find' some evidence that implicates him when they're there.

"However," Futaba continues, "I thought of something. Ryuji. Makoto. You remember how I had cameras set up in there?"

"Excuse me, what?"

"Don't ask," Makoto says. "We remember, Futaba. What about it?"

"Well," Futaba explains, "I never kept up with it after Ren got arrested and I remembered them since the cops ended up taking them out. So, I looked at the backlog, and you'll never guess what I found."

"What was it?"

"I just sent it to Ryuji's phone."

His phone buzzes and we look at what was sent. And she was right. I couldn't believe it! Someone with a gray hoodie breaking into his room!

"Holy shit!" Ryuji exclaims.

Makoto noted, "That must be where Akechi got the uniform he presented in court!"

"This pretty much seals the deal! We're gonna win!"

"Only if I play our cards right," I add.

"I'm sure you can," Makoto replies. "You have to."

She's right. I have to do it. And I can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've played _Persona 5_ , I don't think you should be too surprised by this, but still, that scene in the apartment was pretty intense to write. I hope I did well with it.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think.


	7. Trial Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where it all happens!

9:15 AM  
District Court  
Defendant Lobby No. 4

This is it. The last day. I know who did it, and I can prove it. I sit with Ren going over the case files one last time. It's nerve-racking, but I'm going to do what I can.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"I'm doing okay," he answers. "Will you be able to get me declared innocent?"

"Hopefully. I've got everything I need."

I hear a knock on the door. "Come in!" I say.

The person who comes in is a bit of a surprise. "Prosecutor Niijima!" I exclaim. She has a mournful expression on her face. "What are you doing here?"

She says nothing. All she does is clench her jaw. "What are you playing at?" she asks.

"What do you mean?"

"What's going to happen today?" Has she figured it out? "You know something I don’t. Right?"

"Well… I do think that things will be rather interesting."

"Tch…" She looks off to the side. What is going on through her head? "I've been turned on by everyone. Akechi, the detectives, and even my own sister. They're all rooting for you. And I'm not going to let you turn people against me anymore."

"I'm not turning your sister against you!" She's taken aback by that comment. "The reason she's working with me is for _your_ sake."

"Wh… what do you mean?"

"You're on the wrong path by trying to convict Ren. He's innocent and you know it. Why do you continue?!"

She's silent. And then… "Don't you know what it's like being set aside by your male coworkers? Just because you're a woman? I have to work twice as hard for the same amount of respect. And the way to get respect is getting guilty verdicts. I haven't lost yet, and I don't plan on doing that now!"

She's not wrong about being passed along just for being a woman. Even in law school, it was even more of an uphill battle to get to where I am today. But still…

"Sae, I understand what you're going through, but that doesn't justify what you're doing. I'm not letting you find this boy guilty just for that alone. This is exactly what Makoto was worried about. You're going down a path that you can't just bounce back from."

"Tch…" She turns away from me. "Whatever." She wipes her eyes, and I swear I see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Not 'Whatever'! A boy's life is on the line! Do you just listen to only what you want to hear?! I know you really care about Makoto. I saw it the other day at the detention center. And if you don't want to drive her further away, you need to _listen to her_."

She doesn't respond and leaves the room. She won't listen to reason. I guess I'll have to do what I can to get through to her in court.

It isn't long until Futaba comes with the evidence. Sojiro is following close behind. Of course, she's still wearing her mask. "I have arrived," she announces.

Ren's eyes widen – the first semblance of an expression I've seen from him. "Futaba?" he exclaims. "You're out of your room?!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Good to see you again, Ren."

He chuckles. "Thanks."

"You better find him innocent," Sojiro says, "because I'll to retain you to sue the police after what they did in my shop. It's still closed off and I'm losing business."

"Actually," I begin, "I specialize in criminal law, but I can recommend somebody."

He smirks. "Well, regardless, I'm rooting for you. If you were really able to turn things around to get to this point, I wanna see this through to the end."

"We'll be in the gallery," Futaba adds. "Good luck." She waves and leaves with Sojiro.

Finally, Makoto and Ryuji arrive. Ryuji is as chipper as ever, but Makoto's expression is more determined.

"Ready to go!" he shouted with a thumbs up. "Let's expose that son of a bitch for all to see!"

"Definitely," Makoto adds. "I'm ready to take him _down_."

Glad to see they're confident about this. Who knows what dirty tricks either Sae or Goro will pull.

* * *

10:00 PM  
District Courthouse  
Courtroom No. 2

Everyone assumes their place in the courtroom and the judge slams his gavel to begin the proceedings.

"The court is back in session," he begins, "for the trial of Ren Amamiya. Are the prosecution and defense ready?"

"The defense is ready, your honor," I answer.

"The prosecution is ready, your honor," Sae answers.

The judge continues, "It seems that this trial has taken many unexpected turns. The last time we convened, both sides had failed to produce conclusive evidence. This final day will decide on what happens to the defendant. I'd first like to ask the prosecution if she has anything to present at this time."

This is it. Let's see what Sae has up her sleeve.

"I only have a statement," she says. "Right now, the police had raided the defendant's residence at the time. What we did find was surveillance equipment within the room. Cameras were recovered and it was confirmed that they were used to spy on the defendant's whereabouts with his knowledge."

The judge's eyes widen. "Cameras?! What would someone be doing with those?"

"We were informed that the shop owner's daughter was the one using them. And I'd rather not speculate as to why."

Ryuji quips, "I wouldn't put it past her."

"We are in the process of obtaining a warrant to seize the data from the cameras. Until then, we move forward with our argument since no alternative suspects have been identified."

"I see," the judge replies. "Does the defense have anything to say in response to this?"

"Actually," I say with a smirk, "I do. I have proof that my client is innocent!"

"Y- y- you do?!"

"Yes! Decisive evidence that not only clears suspicion of my client but also proves who the real killer is!"

Chatter rises from the gallery. However, instead of a gavel, it is quieted by Sae's " _HOLD IT!_ " She glares at me in disbelief. "That's impossible! There is no way you have anything!"

"I wouldn't doubt so soon, Prosecutor Niijima."

"Ms. Fey!" the judge says. "What are you proposing?"

"I would like to start with a special witness." I point and shout, " _The defense would like to call Goro Akechi to the stand to testify!_ "

" _What?!_ " Sae shouts. Her eyes widen as she is taken aback by the declaration.

"The Detective Prince?" the judge asks. "What insight would this happen to pro-"

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae slams her hand on the bench as she cuts him off. "I object to calling him in! There is nothing he could assist you with!"

"If there's nothing he can do for me," I reply, "then wouldn't it help your case to get him to testify? I am willing to bet my case on it! How about _you_?!"

"Gah!" It looks like the shoe is on the other foot. I have all the evidence and it's her who is at a loss. The only difference is that my evidence is legit.

"Objection overruled," the judge declares. "The court will grant Ms. Fey's request. Bailiff, please inform Mr. Akechi that he must testify immediately."

Akechi was outside the courthouse giving interviews, so it thankfully did not take long to get him here. He approaches the witness stand with a confident expression. I see Makoto and Ryuji scowling at him and I don't blame them. I'd do the same if I weren't trying to remain professional.

"Witness," Sae begins hesitantly, "please state your name and occupation for the record."

He tilts his head quizzically. "Niijima-san," he replies, "what is this all about?"

"You can ask the defense after you state your name and occupation."

"I see..." He strokes his chin and looks at me. I can almost detect a hint of maliciousness in his voice. "Very well. My name is Goro Akechi. I'm a high school student as well as an 'amateur' detective." He says it with air quotes.

"Why do you say amateur?" the judge asks.

"That is merely a technicality since I don't make a living off of it, but I assure you that I am one of the best at what I do. I guess you could say I'm a freelance detective." Yeah, this guy isn't arrogant at all.

The judge nods. "That is a good point. I must say that my granddaughter is a huge fan of yours."

Akechi chuckles. "In that case, I'll be sure to give you my autograph once the proceedings are over, your honor."

"You are very generous. I'm sure she'd love that."

"I doubt that, Your Honor," I say. "And after you hear what I have to say, I don't think _anyone_ will be wanting your autograph anymore."

His expression hardens. "I beg your pardon?" he asks rhetorically.

Sae raises an eyebrow and asks, "What are you playing at, Fey?"

"Your honor," I say, "the defense would like to indict Mr. Akechi for the murder of Masayoshi Shido and obstruction of justice!"

The whole court is restless once I levy the accusation. The judge quells them with his gavel. "Order! Order!" he shouts. "Ms. Fey! This is a serious accusation! I do hope for your sake that this isn't baseless."

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae interjects. "Of _course_ , this claim is baseless! I've seen people grasping at straws, but this is completely ludicrous!"

"I'd have to agree. Ms. Fey, do you have any evidence that the witness is the real killer?"

Oh, you bet I do! I take out the uniform and show it to the court. " _TAKE THAT!_ " I shout.

"What's this?"

"A Shujin academy uniform. And it was found at the apartment of this very witness!"

"So that's what you were doing," Sae gripes.

However, Akechi doesn't seem bothered. "Interesting," he says. "And just how did you come across this evidence?" Oh, no. I see exactly where he's going with this. "Do you not recall? Then allow me to elaborate. Your honor, this evidence was stolen from my personal safe and obtained after the defense and her cohorts illegally entered my apartment!"

"I'd have half a mind to make sure that she is held to account for this crime."

I knew he'd try this. Luckily, I'm prepared for this. "Your honor," I say, "I would argue that keeping crucial evidence pertaining to this case is much more detrimental."

The judge mulls over it for a moment. "Hmm..." he says. "It does appear that we are at an impasse. While the evidence appears to be illegally obtained, if the witness had been hiding it all this time, then there would be probable cause for searching the apartment. How should we proceed?"

I point and shout, "I would say that the witness should explain what these crucial pieces of evidence were doing in his apartment. Does the prosecution have any objections?"

Sae crosses her arms and grips at her forearm. "I suppose not," she answers. "Let the boy testify."

"Very well," the judge answers. "Mr. Akechi, please explain what you were doing with this evidence."

Goro chuckles. "You just don't know when to quit," he says. "Fine. I'll explain it."

He begins his testimony:

**"After yesterday's blunder with the evidence, I had searched for something else. That is when I decided to go to Cafe LeBlanc on my own. Surely enough, I found the uniform and made sure that there was a missing patch about the same size as your cloth. After that, I had returned to my apartment to put them away. I had only realized that my safe was broken into after the assault by Niijima-chan."**

Sae asks after the testimony, "Why did you not report this theft to the police?"

"It was rather late and I figured that Fey-san would attempt to use it as evidence. It would have been easier to just explain it here."

The judge nods and responds, "I see. Ms. Fey, this does seem to paint your actions in a dubious light. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

I know he slipped up somewhere in the testimony. I just have to expose it. "I only request," I answer, "that I have an opportunity to cross-examine the witness."

"You believe there is a problem with the testimony?"

"I do."

"Then proceed with your cross-examination."

"Heh, good luck," Akechi says.

I won't need luck this time. "Mr. Akechi," I begin, "I'd like you to repeat your statement about what you did after yesterday's trial."

"I decided to go to Cafe LeBlanc on my own. Is that a problem?"

I smile and nod. "A rather big problem since it contradicts a certain piece of evidence that was exposed earlier in this trial."

"What would that be?" Sae asks.

"You should know... since it involves _the cameras confiscated from the defendant's living quarters!_ "

"C- cameras?" Akechi stutters. Now, I've got him on edge. He had no idea about them.

"As stated earlier, the daughter of LeBlanc's owner, Futaba Sakura, had surveillance set up in the defendant's room. As Ms. Niijima said, they were confiscated yesterday afternoon when the police searched it. However, you claim that you were there collecting this evidence before the police arrived." I slam my hands on the desk. "If that's the case, then you would have shown up on the footage while they were still recording!"

He grimaces after I blow a hole in his testimony. "N- n- Niijima-san, why was I not informed about this?"

Sae answers, "After sharing information with the defense, I figured it would be safer not to inform you of what we found there."

"I thought we were partners!"

"So did I, Akechi."

"Prosecutor Niijima," I say, "you also said you're in the process of obtaining the data from those cameras. If you are telling the truth, you should show up somewhere in that footage!"

The gallery stirs once more at the accusation as Akechi begins to unravel.

"Mr. Akechi," the judge asks, "what do you have to say for yourself?"

He looks like he's about to explode while he clenches his fist. However, he composes himself rather quickly. "Alright," he sighs, "I confess. I wasn't at LeBlanc." For some reason, I'm getting a bad feeling about this... "In truth, I had discovered it much sooner... since it was with the uniform I discovered earlier."

" _Whaaaaat?!_ " I scream. I don't believe it. He's really claiming that?!

"Had I known about the tear in the fabric, I would have brought the other pants. My apologies, Niijima-san."

"That effin' slimy bastard!" Ryuji whispers.

"That is a fair point," Sae says. "You only presented what you thought was needed."

The judge says, "It seems that you have justification for having this evidence. The defense has no reason to suspect Mr. Akechi."

No, no, no. Come on, Mia. Think! There has to be an issue somewhere.

"We apologize for bringing you out like this. You are free to leave."

"Thank you, your honor," he says as he turns to leave.

" _HOLD IT!_ " Makoto shouts. The whole courtroom turns to her. She has an expression of cold fury on her face. "You will stay right where you are."

"What are you doing?" I whisper.

Instead of responding, she addresses Goro. "If you had both pieces of evidence, there's no reason _not_ to bring both of them!"

Wait a minute. "She's correct!" I say as I point at him. "You would only hide one of you had something to hide!"

His smile disappears and he glares at us. It seems he didn't think about that.

"Witness," I shout. "Just what were you hiding by not bringing this in?!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "There is nothing to discuss! Akechi, you can leave!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " I shout back. "The witness will stay at the stand and explain his reasoning!"

The judge pounds his gavel. "It seems the defense will not be satisfied until this line of questioning is pursued. Witness, can you explain your reasoning?"

Goro starts hesitating. "Of... course... I can explain."

"Then please testify to your reasoning."

He begins:

**"I kept it from the court at the time because it couldn't be used as decisive. We found blood on the other set, so I assumed this would be enough. I didn't know about the fabric left behind until you mentioned it in court yesterday. How could I have known the other pants would be more noteworthy? I simply kept it on hand in case of any need for further evidence."**

I can already hear him cracking as he speaks.

After he finishes his testimony, Sae comments, "Ms. Fey, I do hope you realize that you are trying to frame the witness for murder based on a judgment call."

"But he hid evidence," I point out. "That should be enough for suspicion as is."

"I suppose," the judge says, "it will be left to the cross-examination."

Then, it's time to press. First things first... "You said that 'we' found blood on it. Were there more people who were with you when you submitted this evidence?"

"What's your point?" he replies.

"I'm just saying, if you really did bring both pairs of pants in, you should have others who could corroborate this. Correct?"

"Uh... well... I..." His eyes widen and he fiddles with his gloves.

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "This line of questioning is meaningless."

" _OBJECTION!_ " I reply. "Look at the witness' face! If he had no reason to hide anything, then he would have no issue with the other investigators backing this up!"

The judge nods and says, "The defense does have a point."

"No, she doesn't!" Akechi interjects. "You have nothing that ties me to the murder!"

"Then, let's ask the other investigators if you brought this second pair of pants!"

He grits his teeth in frustration. I think I'm finally getting to him.

"Admit it!" I say. "You dressed up as the defendant and murdered Shido so you could pin the blame on him!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "That's... that's not _possible!_ You need evidence! Show me any evidence for this claim!" It seems that she's having a hard time believing her partner would do such a thing. It's understandable. She probably trusted him a lot. However, we can't let him get away with this.

"There is one other thing we found in his safe." I pull out the black wig that was also in the safe. "This wig was found in his safe. It was likely to keep the idea that the defendant could have been impersonated on that night. Why would you hide such evidence unless you _wanted_ Mr. Amamiya to be found guilty?"

Akechi growled. "No. No! NOOOOOOOO!" He slammed his fist on the podium. I've got him now. I couldn't help the confident smile that crept up on my face.

Sae is in shock as she says, "It... it isn't... possible..."

"Well, witness," I say, "what do you have to say for yourself?"

He didn't respond. He only looked down at his feet. Then... he started _laughing_. My confidence quickly turned to confusion. And I wasn't the only one.

"W- witness?" the judge stuttered with wide eyes.

"Oh, Fey-san," he replies, "do you really think I'd let this farce go on without one key piece of information?"

"What do you mean?" I hesitantly ask.

"Motive." Oh... oh, no... "What reason would I have to murder a politician I don't know and frame another person who I also don't know?" His smile became more deranged. "Without motive, the most you could charge me with is concealing evidence."

"Gah!"

Sae slams her desk. "That's right," she adds. "This witness has no connection to the victim or the defendant!"

"If motive cannot be established," the judge states, "I cannot allow you to indict the witness."

We have to have something... wait. "Your Honor!" I shout. "I do, in fact, have evidence that links the witness to the victim and the defendant!"

"What?"

"What?!" Sae shouts.

"WHAT?!" Akechi screams.

I know what to do now. This will be the nail in the coffin! I pull out the notebooks and present them to the court. " _TAKE THAT!_ " I shout.

"What's this?" the judge asks. "Are these... books?"

"These two books happen to contain the names of Shido's political rivals. Several of which have committed suicide. Likely, the victim had some hand in their disappearance. Without revealing too much, can you confirm this, Prosecutor Niijima?"

"I..." Sae stutters, "we were investigating this. Yes." I can already tell she won't like where this is going.

"And wouldn't fate have it that one book was found at the crime scene in the victim's possession."

The judge asks, "Where was the other found?"

I smirk and shake my head. "Isn't it obvious, your honor? It was found in the witness' safe!" I point at Akechi and his eyes widen. "And I would find it hard to believe that it's a coincidence that both books had the exact same names written in almost the exact same order!"

" _OBJECTION!_ " Sae shouts. "You-you're lying! There's no way that he owned that!"

"Then, I suggest a handwriting analysis of both. If the one found in the safe matches the witness' handwriting, that proves a connection! Furthermore, he was likely working for Shido and keeping tabs on Ren to make sure he didn't retaliate for the false charge!"

"This is all conjecture! You'd have this court believe that the witness was working with the victim for his political gain?! That's insane?!"

"This is where the evidence points! It also explains how he knew where the victim was that night! My client wouldn't be able to concoct such a plan on such short notice!"

Goro is already losing it. "But..." he spits out, "...but that doesn't explain motive! I asked for a _motive!_ "

"You said it yourself when you held us at gunpoint last night."

"Gunpoint?!" Sae exclaims.

"You said that he was corrupt and has done many terrible things. And if you were working with him, you'd know all the details. You killed him for his crimes!"

Everyone in the courthouse is speechless. Goro's eyes are manic and desperate for a way out, but I think he's figured out that there isn't one for him.

"Holy shit," Ryuji exclaims. "You did it."

Sae is absolutely flabbergasted. "Akechi..." she says, "...tell me it's not true."

Instead of an answer... he screamed. It was a scream that rocked the entire courtroom. Then, as if he has drained all of his energy, he fell to his knees and started sobbing.

"Why...? Why would you do this?!"

He looked up with red, swollen eyes. "He... was my father."

What? How... how is that possible?

"I was the son of a mistress of his," he continued, still choking on sobs. "And when I was old enough, I asked my mother who my father was. I used this to get closer to him, but he only ever saw me as a tool. That's how he sees all people who work for him. Tools to be discarded once they've lost their usefulness. So... I became useful. In any way that I could. I didn't want to be discarded... but my fears came true when I overheard a phone call."

_"I don't care if he's related," he said. "He's baggage. I'm closer to my goals than ever before. I don't need him anymore. The sooner I can get rid of him, the better." That tore me apart. Baggage. His own son... was baggage._

I can tell he's having a hard time saying all of this. Shido really was awful if he treated his own son like that. I almost feel bad for him.

"And that's why you killed him," Makoto said. "You were going to be 'discarded'."

"I figured," he said, "it was either him or me. I wasn't going to be thrown away."

"I get all that," Ryuji replied, "but why frame Ren? He didn't do nothin'."

He let out a sad chuckle. "Would you believe jealousy?"

"What do ya mean?"

"I've had to keep tabs on him for a while. He was initially ostracized at Shujin for his conviction, but then, you made friends. Loyal friends. Friends that stuck by you through thick and thin. I've always been alone. I may have had fans, but I never had friends. And I thought... the murder charge would have made sure you'd abandon him. Especially since Niijima-san was prosecuting. You had a hopeless case. And yet... you stuck by him more than ever. I guess that was an error on my part. If only Niijima had played her part better against you."

"Wait a minute," Sae says, "you _used_ me?"

Goro laughs again, but it's more noticeably mirthless. "Of course, I used you. I knew you'd do anything to win. You were so hellbent on making sure Amamiya was arrested. You wouldn't let anything tell you otherwise. I just helped you come to that conclusion."

Once again Sae is speechless, but she also seems heartbroken by what happened.

"From where I'm standing," Ryuji says, "using someone like that doesn't make you any different than your scumbag father."

Akechi tries to wipe the tears to no avail. "I know," is all he says."

After being silent for most of the trial, Ren finally spoke up. "Do you want to know something, Akechi?" Goro looked back at him. "If it weren't for what you did... I think we could have been friends."

I see a sad smile creep up on Akechi's face.

I've seen exactly what Akechi is talking about. Ryuji, Matoto, Ann, and Futaba. They all came to help Ren in any way they could. That's all Akechi wanted. Someone who would care about him deeply like that. I can't say it excuses what he did, but I could see he was just a sad kid in the end.

Akechi was arrested and taken away. Now that we've finally reached the conclusion, Sae seems... exhausted. Emotionally at least.

"It seems that we have reached the end," the judge says. "Does the prosecution have any closing statements?"

"No, your honor," she curtly replies.

"In that case, will the defendant please take the stand?" Ren silently does exactly that. "For the murder of Masayoshi Shido, this court finds the defendant, Ren Amamiya... **not guilty!** "

Ryuji and Makoto celebrate the verdict, not even holding back their joy. Ren gives a small smile to me and I send one back. We did it. We finally did it.

"That is all. This court is adjourned." And the sound of the gavel marked the end of Ren's trial.


	8. Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit rough, but I really wanted to get this chapter out since the case is pretty much done. Sorry for the drop in quality.

11:48 PM  
District Courthouse  
Defendant Lobby No. 4

All of us went back to the lobby; Sojiro and Futuba joined us. Ryuji and Makoto hug Ren so hard that I'd be worried about them suffocating him. "We did it!" Ryuji screamed. "We effin' did it!"

"Guys," Ren said, "I need to breath."

They release him and give him some room. "Sorry, buddy. I'm just so happy!"

Ren looks at me. "I can't thank you enough, Ms. Fey."

"You should thank these guys, too," I say while pointing at his friends. "They were a huge help to me as well."

"That's what friends do," Makoto says.

"So, Mr. Amamiya," I say, "what are you going to do about your newfound freedom?"

"I don't know," he says. "Maybe we can head to LeBlanc. What do you say, Boss?"

"Yeah!" Ryuji shouts. "And after that, we could go for ramen, too!"

Sojiro chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. He says, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Aww! I knew you cared about us!"

"Don't push it."

I chuckle at the two.

Suddenly, the door opens and the last person I expected to see comes through. Sae Niijima. All of us are silent, but she seems so embarrassed. "Hey…" she says.

"Um…" I say, hesitating to think of something, "…too bad about losing…" Yeah, I probably shouldn't have said anything.

"Makoto… can I say something?"

Makoto's expression hardens. "What do you want?"

"…Do you really believe… I only think you're worth your accomplishments?"

Makoto is taken aback. "I…"

"What you said to me in the detention center… I didn't know you felt that way."

"Sis… maybe I overstepped a boundary –"

"You didn't. You were perfectly justified in saying what you did. You were as well, Ms. Fey."

"Me?" I ask.

"When Akechi said that he used me… just because he thought I'd do whatever it takes to win… I've never thought much about what I did until now. And to think someone could have tricked me into doing such a… horrible thing… To think that I trusted him…" Tears start welling up in her eyes. "But I still did everything I did to your friend…"

"You know…" Makoto begins, "…I never thought you were a bad person. You're stubborn, but you do what you think is right."

"But I was _wrong!_ I never should have done any of it! And I should have never said the things I said to you. You clearly know more than I do…" Her voice trailed off in the end. To see her like this after being so commanding and confident… it's almost pitiable. "I don't blame you for not forgiving me…"

"You know," I say, "it's not too late. I have a sister as well, and she's about Makoto's age. I know how you feel about her, but I didn't want you guys to be pulled apart like this. Maybe it wasn't my place, but it's not something that I can stand to the side about it."

Sae gives a sad smile. "You've been taking better care of her than I have, honestly."

I chuckle nervously. "I wouldn't say that."

"Regardless, I wanted to thank you. I thought being a prosecutor would bring justice, but seeing what you were doing, you do more to seek justice than I had."

"I just believe in my clients. That's all."

"And Makoto, I'm sorry for everything I did and said. Treating you like a child. I just wanted the best for you and, suffice to say, I missed the mark. Could you… ever forgive me for this?"

Makoto smiles and then runs up to hug her. Sae is shocked, but she hugs her back. "Of course, Sis." It's rather sweet seeing them make up like this.

As they released each other, Ryuji asks, "Well, now what are you gonna do?"

"At this point," Sae answers, "I'm thinking about if I want to stay in the prosecutor's office. After having my first major loss, it made me think about why I do what I do. I've never had someone fight back against me so adamantly before."

Well, I do tend to put up a fight.

"Who knows?" she continues. "Maybe I'll become a defense attorney."

"If you do," I reply, "the Fey and Co. Law Offices would always be willing to have you."

"Thanks," she says with a smile. "And Mr. Amamiya, I'm sorry about what I was trying to do to you."

"You were only doing your job," he says. "I'm not going to hold it against you. You're not the first person to do that."

"But it shouldn't be happening. I'll do everything I can to make sure that you have justice for it."

Ren nods. "I appreciate that."

Sojiro pipes up, "Well, I think that we should go to LeBlanc to celebrate. I could treat you to some damn good curry."

"Hell yeah, Boss," Ryuji shouts.

"You can come, too, Ms. Niijima."

Sae is shocked. "I appreciate it, but I really shouldn't."

"Come on, Sis," Makoto said. "You really need to relax. It'll be good for you."

Sae smiled at her sister when she said that. She sighs and says, "If you insist."

And so, another case came to a close. And what a case it was. Seeing these kids fight so hard to save their friend was something that really inspired me. Also, I was glad that I could help the two sisters get back together. I've seen my fair share of heartache on this job, but it was always worth it in the end when there was a resolution. Even if it was bittersweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you think of it. I may not respond to all comments, but I do read them.
> 
> **EDIT (11/29/2020):** I decided to make a cover for the fic as well. The logo was made by E.D. Revolution ([link here](https://forums.court-records.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=31354)). Everything else was done by me.


End file.
